But for the second time this year, Barak came up empty-handed after a creative and courageous effort on peace. Arafat may yet come back to the table after judging reaction at home to Barak's proposals, which lay the foundation for an honorable peace. But the Syrian and Palestinian rejections raise serious questions about whether an Israeli-Palestinian peace is possible now without significant change in the political environment of the region. Resisting the global movement toward democracy has become the overriding political purpose of Arab rulers, as demand for change grows stronger in their countries and as Israel recedes as an overwhelming threat. Increasingly, Arab intellectuals and others are making the connection between the lack of democracy in their region and the vast personal fortunes their rulers amass.
Democracy is ruinous.
Nelson Mandela is poor, and the poet Leopold Senghor lives in the clouds. The presidency of South Africa and of Senegal, respectively, have left them with nothing for their old age. The most skillful diplomacy in the world may not be enough to close the Israeli-Palestinian gap if Arafat continues to put allegiance to the interests of Arab rulers above the interests of the people he has already partially liberated from Israeli occupation. Camp David II punches a huge hole in that assumption. Washington must now shift its energy and focus away from mediating between Barak and Arafat toward dismantling the invisible barrier of opposition to any deal on Jerusalem erected by the Egyptians, Saudis and others.