The U.S. Focuses On Israel While The Middle East Burns

Chaos In Middle East Grows As The U.S. Focuses On Israel -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — In Damascus, the Syrian government’s forces are digging in against rebels in a bloody civil war that is swiftly approaching the grim milestone of 100,000 dead. In Cairo, an angry tide of protesters again threatens an Egyptian president.

At the same time, in tranquil Tel Aviv, Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up a busy round of shuttle diplomacy, laboring to revive a three-decade-old attempt at peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. He insisted on Sunday that he had made “real progress.”

The new secretary of state’s exertions — reminiscent of predecessors like Henry A. Kissinger and James A. Baker III — have been met with the usual mix of hope and skepticism. But with so much of the Middle East still convulsing from the effects of the Arab Spring, Mr. Kerry’s efforts raise questions about the Obama administration’s priorities at a time of renewed regional unrest.

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My Comment: I see zero possibility of such talks accomplishing anything in the environment that is in the Middle East today. The Palestinians are still deeply divided between Hamas and Fatah, and they have shown zero interest in compromising with Israel ... let alone even recognizing them. To put it more bluntly .... the focus in the region is on the Syrian civil war, and the growing schism/conflict between the Sunni-Shitte Islamic sects. Throw in the fact that Egypt is in chaos .... Syrian refugees are now numbering in the millions .... Iraq is on the precipice of their own sectarian civil war between Sunni-Shiite-Kurd groups ... growing fears in Lebanon of a Sunni-Hezbollah conflict .... no stopping in Iran's nuclear program .... unrest in Turkey ... etc./etc./etc.. The list is long and unending .... but for some reason this is not where the US Secretary of State's attention is focused on. Instead .... his attention is on a region (Israel-West bank) that is comparatively speaking the most stable region in the entire Middle East .... and even then he is only focused on the process, not on any tangible results.

For some reason images of Rome burning while Nero "fiddled" are now coming to my mind.