Thinking Citizen Blog — How big a deal is the Israel-UAE accord?
Thinking Citizen Blog — Monday is Foreign Policy Day
Today’ s Topic — How big a deal is the Israel-UAE accord? Why? How did it happen?
Context matters. The big picture is the rise of Iran as the regional hegemon in the Middle East. Israel and the UAE are patching up differences to unite against a common enemy. Depending on your bias, you could think of this as analogous to the Grand Alliance of World War II — with the Soviet Union on the one side and the US and Britain on the other, allying against the common enemy of Nazi Germany. Or you could think of it as the Nazi-Soviet Alliance of 1939 uniting against the common enemy of the Western democracies. Or you could reject both analogies as odious and come up with another one or none at all. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
WHAT HAPPENED — Full Normalization in exchange for Annexation suspension
1.”Israel and the UAE reached a landmark accord sealed by President Trump on Thursday that could presage a broader realignment in the region as the two agreed to “full normalization of relations” in exchange for Israel suspending annexation of occupied West Bank territory.” (NYT, first link)
2. “In a surprise announcement at the White House after a three-way phone call with Israeli and Emirati leaders, Mr. Trump said the deal would lead to greater cooperation on investment, tourism, security, technology, energy and other areas while the two countries move to allow regular direct passenger flights, open embassies and trade ambassadors for the first time.” (ditto)
3. “If fulfilled, the pact would make the Emirates only the third Arab country to have normal diplomatic relations with Israel along with Egypt, which signed a peace agreement in 1979, and Jordan, which signed a treaty in 1994. It could reorder the long stalemate in the region, potentially leading other Arab nations to follow suit in forging an increasingly explicit alliance with Israel against their mutual enemy in Iran while taking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s explosive annexation plan off the table, at least for now.”
THE PALESTINIAN VIEW — “a black day”
1. “This is a black day in the history of Palestine,” Ahmad Majdalani, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, said in an interview shortly before the Palestinian ambassador to the Emirates was recalled in protest. ..” (ditto)
2. “This agreement is a total departure from the Arab consensus.” (ditto)
3. “The Palestinian people have not authorized anyone to make concessions to Israel in exchange for anything.” (ditto)
BIDEN PRAISES DEAL — “a welcome, brave, and badly needed act of statesmanship”
1. And he takes some credit for it, saying that the deal was built upon a foundation laid by the Biden-Obama administration. (see NYT, second link)
2. This is a rare instance of Biden supporting a Trump administration policy.
3. “By forestalling that possibility and replacing it with the hope of greater connection and integration in the region, the United Arab Emirates and Israel have pointed a path toward a more peaceful, stable Middle East.”
Israel and United Arab Emirates Strike Major Diplomatic Agreement
Israel-UAE Deal ‘Brave and Badly-Needed’: U.S. Presidential Candidate Biden
Biden praises Israel-UAE peace deal announced by Trump, credits Obama administration
Opinion | Trump is right. The Israel-UAE agreement is a huge achievement.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/13/opinion/israel-uae.html
From Israel and the Emirates, a lesson in Middle East diplomacy — The Boston Globe
YOUR TURN
Please share the coolest or most important thing you learned in the last week, month, or year related to foreign policy. Or, even better, the coolest or most important thing you learned in our life related to foreign policy.
This is your chance to make someone else’s day. And to consolidate in your memory something important you might otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than otherwise about something dear to your heart. Continuity is the key to depth of thought. The prospect of imminent publication, like hanging and final exams, concentrates the mind. A useful life long habit.
