Amjad Atallah above in this Bloggingheads exchange with Robert Wright suggests that if Arab states and Israel had been able to deliver on a two-state outcome hatching a State of Palestine the US would not have to be so fearful of falling afoul of Mubarak and siding with protesters.
In other words, in a world where Israel and Palestine find a way forward, normalization with a big chug of states with Israel decreases the significance of Egypt, or Jordan, or any other anomalous Middle Easter anchor of peace with Israel today.
I think Atallah has a point. This doesn’t change the fact that the US has vital interests throughout the region, including Israel’s security, and reality doesn’t allow deal-making exclusively with democracies. We’ve got a mixed bag to deal with.
— Steve Clemons
