Dr James J Zogby<\/p>\n
The US reaction to Iran\u2019s retaliatory drone and missile launches against Israel was predictable and unhelpful. More sanctions against Iran and more weapons to Israel, while calling for de-escalation, was at best contradictory. At worst, it could exacerbate existing tensions.
\nCommentary from the Israeli and Arab press and the US and Western policymakers and \u201canalysts\u201d was even more distressing. Some Arabs celebrated Iran\u2019s display of might as a show of strength and deterrence. Israelis touted the effectiveness of the defense arsenal that neutralized Iran\u2019s well-telegraphed attack. A similarly congratulatory tone from Western hawks, on the right and left, first elevated, then denigrated the Iranian attack, while suggesting that the only effective response was massive retaliation by Israel to \u201cneutralize\u201d Iran. A limited response would only embolden Iran to attack again.
\nSuch notions are shortsighted foolishness and downright dangerous. The reality, despite the desires of some, is that neither Israel nor Iran will be defeated. The costs of such a fool\u2019s errand would devastate the entire region. Their arsenals and allies\u2014globally and regionally\u2014can wreak havoc in countless lives lost and economic devastation in the Levant and Arab Gulf states.
\nThe broader Middle East needs peace and stability, not more conflict. More arms and hostile posturing won\u2019t help. If we\u2019ve learned anything from history, it\u2019s that the region\u2019s antagonists won\u2019t be defeated. Conflict either emboldens them or metastasizes their conflicts\u2019 root causes into new, more virulent forms.
\nAfter decades of misguided US and Western policies, the region faces several separate but connected conflicts\u2014rooted in each country\u2019s particular circumstances but stirred up by same set of external actors\u2014Iran and its allies, or the US\/Israel axis and its allies.
\nUS persistence on its path of unquestioning support for Israel and refusal to challenge Israel or constructively engage Iran leads to where we are today: genocide in Gaza, Israel and Hezbollah on the brink of war, Syria still reeling from civil war, and Iran involved in multiple conflicts including in Libya and Sudan.
\nResponding to US policy\u2019s lack of coherence, its weakened stature in global affairs, the rise of China and a China\/Russia axis, and persistent regional threats, several Arab governments have been forced to act alone to protect their interests by seeking regional peace and stability. They are developing their own ties with Iran, working with China and Russia, while continuing ties with the US and making overtures to Israel.
\nNow, with a devastating war in Gaza and the dangers of conflict between Israel and Iran, instead of finding a constructive way forward, the US has fallen back on past failed policies.
\nBack when the Obama administration was using sanctions and its diplomatic capital to negotiate a nuclear arms deal with Iran, I argued for a different course. Why not address Iran\u2019s regional meddling by working with the same P5+1 members of the UN to convene a regional security framework modeled after the precursor to the OSCE that stabilized Europe, East and West, during the Cold War.
\nThis idea had first been broached by the 2006 Iraq Study Group, calling for the formation of an International Support Group to bring together Iraq\u2019s neighbors with the five permanent Security Council members to address the regional fallout from the Iraq war.
\nIgnored then, this idea should now be considered to address critical issues affecting regional stability and world peace: ending Israel\u2019s occupation of Palestinian lands and continuing its aggressive regional role; Iran\u2019s meddling; the need for political and economic reforms; a Nuclear Free Zone in the Middle East; security guarantees and a non-aggression pact; and promoting the benefits of regional investment and trade.
\nLike the Madrid Peace Conference, a Middle East OSCE would bring together Arab countries, Iran, Turkey, and Israel under the sponsorship of Security Council members. Some countries will need pressure to participate, concessions made, and incentives offered. Unlike Madrid, pressure shouldn\u2019t end when the parties convene, but continue until agreements are reached.
\nUS policymakers say such an idea won\u2019t fly, pointing to this or that country that won\u2019t participate. The same was said about Madrid. Such a response is lazy and lacks imagination. It\u2019s also foolish, and dangerous because the alternative is the path to perpetual war.<\/p>\n
The writer is the President of Arab American Institute.
\nCourtesy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dr James J Zogby The US reaction to Iran\u2019s retaliatory drone and missile launches against Israel was predictable and unhelpful. More sanctions against Iran and more weapons to Israel, while calling for de-escalation, was at best contradictory. At worst, it could exacerbate existing tensions. Commentary from the Israeli and Arab press and the US and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[13158],"class_list":{"0":"post-406577","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-dr-james-j-zogby"},"yoast_head":"\n