Obama could learn from Israel’s mistakes with Palestinians, Lebanese

By Ira Sharkansky

JERUSALEM–The New York Times followed President Obama’s speech on Afghanistan with an article that is devastatingly skeptical. It seems to have been prepared largely before the speech, on the basis of details discussed for days. The article  details the corruption high and low in Afghanistan that depends on narcotics, and the dismal prospects of preparing Afghan security forces to take the place of American troops according to the President’s forecast.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/world/asia/02afghan.html?_r=1&hp

A paragraph has a positive tone, but also points to the President’s weakness.

“One clue to President Obama’s approach is that he intends to curtail the amount of American money going directly to Mr. Karzai and the central government in Kabul. Instead, the president intends to channel more American money directly to local officials in the provinces.”

The problem with this is something that bedevils outsiders who try to play in someone else’s politics. It is a lesson that Israelis have learned from repeated efforts to back one or another side in the internal affairs of the Palestinians or Lebanese. Time after time, either the horse chosen has not done what was promised, or has been powerless in its context.

The Times indicates that American military commanders have not succeeded in mentoring Afghan security personnel. What makes them expect to do better with regional war lords who have demonstrated a capacity to go their own way, have family and financial connections with the Taliban, and shift sides from day to day.

The risk in the President’s policy for Afghanistan is 100,000 American troops and additional billions of expense. The risks for his political aspirations for Israel and Palestine are those of embarrassment.

Israel is an orderly and well run country by world standards, but suffers as do others from the multiple pressures on national leaders and problems in implementating policies the way they are articulated.

Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu is said to respond positively to the last person he speaks with, until he speaks with someone else. In regard to a freeze in settlements, he has spoken with settlers and colleagues in his government more recently than with President Obama or Special Envoy Mitchell. We have known for some time that Netanyahu rejected Obama’s demand for a total freeze. Now he has said that the partial freeze will not be repeated, that construction will begin again in 10 months, and will continue until there is a final agreement with the Palestinians about the staus of the West Bank.

A cartoon in Ha’aretz depicts another feature of the freeze. It shows construction underway, and settler activists preventing the entry of building inspectors sent to enforce it. Defense Minister Ehud Barak is waving an order to stop building, while Prime Minister Netanyahu is saying, “I suspect we need the German mediator here.” The reference is to the German official who is negotiating between Israel and Hamas about the release of prisoners.

It is too early to assess how President Obama’s risks in foreign policy will affect things at home. His election was a grand moment in history, applauded throughout the world. It brought tears to my eyes as I thought about teaching at the University of Georgia in the difficult years of the 1960s. He is a symbol of how far African Americans have come, but the changes have not been complete. Another article in the New York Times describes lingering problems of African American graduates of prestigious colleges and universities.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/us/01race.html?scp=3&sq=african%20american&st=cse

Obama’s election enhanced the opportunities of African Americans, but the downturn in his popularity may also affect them.

“. . . whether Mr. Obama’s election has been good or bad for their job prospects is hotly debated. Several interviewed went so far as to say that they believed there was only so much progress that many in the country could take, and that there was now a backlash against blacks.  . . . ‘There is resentment toward his presidency among some because of his race’  . . . (according to) a Morehouse alumnus from New Jersey who was laid off as a regional sales manager and has been able to find only part-time work.”

The concern about a backlash among African Americans reminds me of Jews who worry when one of their own makes the headlines for something undesirable. It is premature to speculate if  Obama’s failures will make him the Black Bernie Madoff. For one thing, President Obama has not yet failed. For another thing, American culture may have matured beyond the point where Bernie Madoff sets back Jews, or a Black president who promises more than he delivers sets back African Americans. White politicians also speak better than they perform.

*
Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University