Monday, February 17, 1986FThe Battalion/Page 5 com: Middle East challenge ■ ' 'iferdependent forld changes ireign policy By mary McWhorter Staff Writer ‘I We Middle East remains a poten- «rt a of conflict not only for the ^uiiries and political groups di- |y involved but also for the pd States and the Soviet Union, 'Ixiftseph Sisco said Friday at the “ ! :§fent Conference on National Af- rs. o, former under-secretary of teiior political affairs, said, “The it remains such a critical area the potential for conflict be- jen us and the Soviet Union tre the Soviets have the advan- ebf near proximity and obviously int and major interests of the Soviet Union and the States are involved.” Dr. Joseph Sisco speaks at the Student Conference on National Affairs. r; served 25 years in the De tent of State where his princi- lea of expertise was in the Mid- pst and the Persian Gulf. He iated the cease-fire between fpt and Israel in 1970 and from to 1976 he helped to work out -disengagement agreements be- Israel, Egypt and Syria, is now a partner in Sisco As- itfs, a national and international i ting firm. fee fundamental changes have fed since World War II that af- imerican policy in the Middle Itjnd the Gulf, Sisco said. ^t, now that the Soviet Union ■chieved nuclear equilibrium. America no longer has military su periority, he said. “The second fundamental change is economic,” he said. “In the early days after World War II, we were by far the dominant power economi cally,” Sisco said. “We helped rebuild Japan. We certainly, with the Mar shall Plan, re-built Western Europe. W'e took the lead in the United Na tions in the whole de-colonization process. (We did this) not out of hu manitarian interests, but largely be cause the national interest of the United States is best served in a world environment of relative peace and stabiliy.” But, Sisco added, today we are op erating in an interdependent world where we are dealing economically with our Western European allies as equals and partners, not as depen dencies. • “While we are still the number one economic power in the world,” Sisco said, “the fact of the matter is that we are much more dependent in this interdepentent world on the interaction between ourselves and other countries and it is no longer a United States that can apply over whelming economic resources and resolve a number of these issues as clearly as we might have been able to do in the early days after World War II.” Finally, Sisco said President Rea gan has brought back a strong exec utive leadership that had been lost during the Vietnam War and Water gate. “Our most productive periods his torically have been periods of strong executive leadership supported by bipartisan Congress,” Sisco said. “From World War II to Vietnam there was a consensus on security is sues. Vietnam fractured that consen sus. We began to doubt. Our policy became less predictable.” Reagan now has achieved a strong pattern of cooperation between the executive branch and the legislature, one that Sisco said has been the ear mark of a strong American lead ership. ' Sisco added that he expected to see continued conflict in Lebanon and in Iran and Iraq. He said that neither Iran nor Iraq had enough military power to end their war and that the only solution seemed to be the death of Iran’s leadership. Finally, Sisco said that the United States does have a good deal of influ ence in the Middle East and can use it to help solve the problems there. “The great diplomat, President Sadat, was very fond of saying that ‘what you Americans have got to un derstand is that when it comes to the Middle East and the Gulf, the cards are all in your hands if you have the wisdom to play them effectively.’” laell Arab call for peace in Mideast conflict r JBySONDRA PICKARD f] ■ Staff Writer cor: Israeli professor and an Arab ador called for peace and de- I their respective positions in enmry-old, Arab-Israeli conflict ty as part of the Student Con- |ice on National Affairs. foshe Ma’oz, chairman of the nent of Islamic and Middle i Studies at Hebrew Univer- ijerusalem, and Ambassador is Maksoud, permanent ob- av. :r|of the League of Arab States eunited Nations and chief rep- uderiBttive of the League in the tiiudtH States, were the participants and iAanel discussion titled “The ases Jjsraeli conflict.” ■don S. Brown, director of the nienisceof Arabian Peninsula Affairs, , the' Bated the discussion, isenfnp’pz, presenting the Israeli view- it toward the conflict, said pros- rinl9i§for peace in the Middle East vst fffl|opd. er we achieve a settlement or ill be a stalemate, a recession bssibly another war,” Ma’oz Ilf all parties are committed to eino!ii i j' , t can achieve a breakthrough Tirsue the course of peace.” loz said 70 percent of the con- tween the Israelis and the Pal- Ins results from a psychologi- trrier between the two peoples, im sure the Palestinians Idn’t regret it if Israel vanished ■row,” he said, “but it’s not nO' I to happen. The Israelis and f Palestinians are stuck together |er they like it or not.” jiough some Israelis recognize [positive efforts within the Pal- Jberation Organization, the |ty doesn’t trust the PLO be- lof its recent terroristic activ- ^and its failure to fulfill ements, Ma’oz said, o those who hold this view, )i said, the best solution is to the West Bank and Gaza, not for religious, historical or na- Ireasons but for security, ta’oz described the conflict as a Gordon Brown (left) moderates a discussion between Clovis Maksoud (center) and Dr. Moshe Ma’oz. ive y its vicious circle whereby extremists on both sides force their positions. “There is a feeling among Israelis that we can’t go on dominating an other nation,” he said. “This is against the authentic values of Zion ism, and it’s eroding the fabric of so ciety. “There is no ideal solution to the Middle East problem — maybe there’s no solution at all — but I’m talking about an alternative to stale mate and war. “The Palestinians on the West Bank, no doubt, would prefer an in dependent state under the PLO, but they may settle for second best.” Ma’oz said the main stumbling block to such a plan is the PLO, which is the sole representative of the Palestinian people. But Maksoud said the roots of the conflict lie in the structuring of the Israeli state at the ultimate expense of the disenfranchisement and dis possession of the Palestinian people. Putting the problem into its his torical context, Maksoud said Israel agreed to absolve the Western world from the guilt of the persecution of Jews during World War II, if, in re turn, the Western world would ab solve Israel of whatever action it plans to take against the Palestinians and the Arabs. “To the conservative American, Israel is addressed as if it were the only projection of Western civiliza tion in the Third World,” Maksoud said. He said the Arabs are caught in a “claustrophobia of noncommunica tion” in which they sometimes have to “shriek” in order to have their voice heard. The historical and future Arab-Is- raeli conflict is something in the realm of the philosophic and intel lectual, Maksoud said, while what is being pressed'for is a pragmatic, rea listic and diplomatic solution. He said Arab nationalism is not an attempt to distinguish the Arabs from others, but to seek equality with others. ■IULMAN THE* 7 RES ENTERTAINING THE BRAZOS VALLEY SINCE 1926 u .ANY SHOW BEFORE 3PM gr"NEET.;Ja— EACH WEEK BI5d6(JNVb6N