Safe Democracy Foundation - Safe Democracy

Dialogue with Syria could “save” Ehud Olmert

Mario Sznajder analyzes the options open to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to avoid the consequences of the scandals and ongoing instability that are threatening his administration. In Sznajder’s opinion, despite Olmert’s comfortable parliamentary support, the current crisis could escalate and force his resignation. There is, however, one step that Olmert could take, which he has ignored until now, to allow him to survive his current political nightmare: the opening of negotiations with Syria.

Stability or Civil War in 2007?

George E. Irani explains why Lebanon finds itself at a crossroads between stability and civil war. Despite these clear and distinct choices, the world is left wondering which path the Land of the Cedars will take. Irani writes that the actual tensions in Lebanon are provoked by the clash of visions between the government and opposition parties, submerged in a region full of international actors such as Israel, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United States and France. To deconstruct the present and future of Lebanon, George E. Irani analyzes each of the major plotlines in the Middle East and predicts their paths in coming years.

The Fight against Terrorism

Ricardo Angoso explains that, according to NATO’s own objectives to defeat terrorism, establish security and support democracy, Afghanistan is a failed war. In Angoso’s opinion, no foreign occupying force has ever been able to control Afghanistan, and none ever will. It is time that the Atlantic Alliance learns from the past, because the War in Afghanistan is only going to get worse.

How to change track and move forward

Dan Bavly writes on the multiple missed opportunities for peace in the Middle East due to a general trend of indifference in the Israeli government for long-term negotiated solutions. Still stuck in the 1948 War of Independence mentality, the Israeli government, military, and population as a whole have been unable to adapt to the changing reality of the Middle East conflict. From the current Saudi Initiative, to the dozens of proposals and openings over the last forty years, Israel has failed to seize countless opportunities for peace, insisting instead on the use of military might to end wars. But in Bavly’s opinion, modern wars cannot end without negotiation. It is time to change track and move forward.

Proposal for peace in the Middle East

Walid Salem presents the Bring Peace Together Project, whose summit was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 28th in order to discuss a comprehensive solution to create peace in the Middle East. The following is a formal letter and call to action of the Bring Peace Together Project, presenting its plan for the recognition, normalization, and security of Israel by 22 Arab countries in exchange for a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194. Read on to find out how you can become involved in this unique opportunity to create peace in the Middle East.

Contradictions in the Middle East peace process

Walid Salem writes about the growing contradiction within European, American, and Israeli decision-making since the West dropped its sanctions-regime against Hamas. In Salem’s opinion, while some States favor gradual diplomacy to legitimate Hamas and establish a five-year ceasefire, others are seeking the negotiation of an immediate permanent status solution with Abu-Mazen. And as the complexity of the contradiction grows, one thing has become clear: Abu-Mazen’s hope lies in a permanent peace agreement. Continuing partial agreements will only damage Abu-Mazen’s Presidency, increase tension between Hamas and Fatah, and weaken the possibility for an eventual reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.

A failed political party system

Sohail Mahmood details the history of democracy in Pakistan since its independence in 1947. After half a century of a corrupt, self-serving, and authoritarian political party system, the public outcry for democracy, accountability, and social justice can no longer be ignored. In Mahmood’s opinion, no single leader can rescue Pakistan from its current political crisis, nor should the baby be thrown out with the bathwater. Reform is needed, not revolution, in order to build a solid democratic foundation for the future of the country. Only by respecting democratic norms, reconstructing the political party system, and promoting national reconciliation can Pakistan find its way out of its current, multidimensional crisis.

Why Israel should negotiate with Damascus

Mario Sznajder questions Ehud Olmert’s policy decisions in relation to the Palestinians, and Syria, noting that Olmert’s leadership has taken on new levels of uncertainty that are uncommon to Israeli politics. In Sznajder’s opinion, Prime Minister Olmert must define a clear political strategy and move forward in negotiations with Damascus. The following article explains why.

The comeback of Iran’s reformist and centrist movements

Arshin Adib-Moghaddam writes on the recent rise of the neoconservative movement in Iran’s increasingly diversified political spectrum. Unlike the neoconservative movements of the US or the UK, Iran’s neoconservatives have advocated social welfare, capital redistribution, anti-corruption measures and have pursued a pragmatic foreign policy agenda. Yet, in Adib-Moghaddam’s opinion, their traditionalist preference for preservation over reform, and their combination of the repressive tendencies of the Shah, with the revolutionary rhetoric of Khomeini, has not convinced the Iranian electorate, thus instigating the comeback, in the recent elections, of the reformist and centrist movements.