A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Big Show: On to Tomorrow's Events

I think my initial reticence about over-analyzing the Obama-Netanyahu-‘Abbas summit has been borne out; most of the early reports indicate that Obama expressed the need for urgency and everybody shook hands for the cameras, but I can't find any proclamations of breakthroughs in the aftermath. Not that I think anyone was expecting any.

So Act One of the Big Show is over; on to Act Two: in the center ring: Ahmadinejad! And warming up in the wings: Qadhafi!

Will the General Assembly hoopla produce any progress on any front? It seems unlikely. A and Q will no doubt do their usual grandstanding, with various countries walking out and all; and perhaps the meeting today will at least move things a little in Israeli-Palestinian issues, but it seems more circus than diplomatic conference.

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