When Good Ideas Go Nowhere

A new report from the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) details possible steps toward a 2-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian situation.  The report is long--more than 100 pages of analysis of peace-making efforts in various other places to glean success factors--and quite thoroughly builds a strong case that a 2-state solution is both possible and desirable from a regional security standpoint.  But--and this is a big "but"--a 2-state solution will almost certainly require the long-term presence of a peacekeeping force of some kind as a buffer between Palestinians and Israelis.  And, as the authors admit, there is little stomach in world capitals for contributing troops to a peacekeeping effort in the world's most politically and religiously sensitive zone.  Similarly, a 2-state solution ultimately will test the ability (willingness?) of the governing Israeli coalition of parties and Fatah on the Palestinian side to sell the idea to their respective publics, and to go against the wishes of religious extremists on both sides.  

So, as with most things, the devil is in the details.  Absent that awareness, it would be possible to become optimistic reading the CNAS report.  But, most problems are solvable in theory--or at least from a distanced perspective.  It is the messy details that forever befuddle those attempting to go from policy into action.  And, in the Levant as in most places (large and small), those details usually involve finding ways to bridge what seem like insurmountable gaps between people.