Dennis Ross, who played an integral role in shaping American involvement in successful Middle East peace talks during the 1990s, discussed the complex political landscape in the region during a campus visit Wednesday, April 11. Details...
Ross, who served as Special Middle East Coordinator at the State Department from 1988 to 2000, was on campus for the second annual James P. Elder Lecture Wednesday evening. Earlier in the day, he held a question-and-answer session with students and also hosted a news conference.
Ross said there is a vacuum of strong leadership on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the death of Yasser Arafat and the incapacitating stroke suffered by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2006.
“(Current Prime Minister) Ehud Olmert has an approval rating that’s less than the margin of error in the polls,” Ross said. “How can someone like that make significant decisions?”
Though Arafat had the power to make important decisions, Ross said he would frequently wait until the last minute to do so. Eventually, Ross came to believe Arafat was not interested in advancing the peace process.
“In the end, I came to the conclusion that Arafat was incapable of making peace. He couldn’t give up the struggle; it identified him. Ending the conflict meant no more demands, no more grievances. By asking him to give up the conflict, it was like we were asking him to give up who he was.”
Asked about U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East today, Ross said “we need a makeover.” He criticized the Bush administration for its lack of response to Saudi Arabia’s recent actions, including statements by the Saudi king calling U.S. action in Iraq an “illegal occupation.”
“It’s stunning what it says about the Saudis’ opinion of the administration,” Ross said. “It shows no fear of the administration. It sends a message that there’s no cost for doing things that cause problems for the United States.”
Ross said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent trip to Syria, which was denounced by the Bush administration, is a sign that “those in the Middle East are looking beyond this administration.” He said the White House could have used her trip for its own advantage, but failed to do so. “Pelosi’s mission could have been coordinated. This administration could have looked for ways to take advantage of it. They could have looked for opportunities to convey the message that when you have a problem with the U.S., you have a problem with us, not just this administration. Rather than trying to score points politically, the administration should have been focused on sending the message that there is no division between Republicans and Democrats.”
Ross was the U.S. point man on the peace process in both the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations. He was instrumental in assisting the Israelis and Palestinians to reach the 1995 Interim Agreement. He successfully brokered the 1997 Hebron Accord, facilitated the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty and worked tirelessly to bring Israel and Syria together.
He currently serves as counselor and Ziegler distinguished fellow at The Washington Institute. He has published extensively on the former Soviet Union, arms control and the Middle East, and his 2004 book, “The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace,” offers personal insight into the Middle East peace process.
The James P. Elder Lecture is Elon’s first endowed lecture series devoted to the exploration of critical scholarship and its impact in the public forum.
Elder graduated from Elon in 1960. He founded the Liberal Arts Forum as an undergraduate in 1958, and went on to serve on the history faculty at Elon from 1963 to 1973.