BZ (well done) in military parlance to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and United States President Donald J Trump for making peace. I don’t have much good to say, ever, about any of the three, but this is good for the world.
Peace, as I said yesterday is a rare and fragile thing; but a formal, even cold peace is always better than conflict, either a cold war or a hot one.
Peace means trade and I am delighted to see that Israel is already applying for permission to have direct flights between the two. Tourism is important ~ trade is more important. Trade is mutually beneficial and it makes people less inclined to want togo to war against a trading partner.
The Middle East is, along with the Russian periphery, the least stable region in the world. IF there is going to be a major hot war, one that might even go nuclear, the chances are very good that it will start there. Anything that can be done to reduce tensions and friction is a good thing.
As I have explained before, there are four contending visions for the future of the Middle East and at least four regional powers contending for leadership. Each of Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have historical claims and modern ambitions. The so-called “Arab street” seems to have decide that Iran is the wrong answer and they are turning towards Israel, as the major military power in the region to provide some balance.
This is, overall, a welcome development. No one has to like President Trump or Prime Ministers Al Maktoum or Netanyahu to acknowledge that this is good diplomacy done well. They deserve our congratulations, our thanks and our best wishes.
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