By Larry Marsh, Kansas City Star Midwest Voices columnist
For years Israeli leaders have urged Palestinian leaders to make peace with Israel as a path to prosperity for the Palestinian people. In an interview with Charlie Rose on PBS taped prior to his speech to the United Nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reversed this logic.
In his interview with Charlie Rose Israel's prime minister recognized the importance of improving the economic condition of the Palestinian people as part of the path to peace. While he didn't offer direct assistance, he did emphasize that Israel will do what it can to enhance the economy of the West Bank.
Social scientists have studied the prosperity-democracy-peace nexus for many years. With exceptions such as India notwithstanding, a stable, long-lasting democracy generally requires approximately $6,000 of income per person. Democracy is quite fragile in countries with lower per capita incomes (e.g. Honduras: $3,100). King Abdullah of Jordan raised this issue with President Bush concerning the Iraq invasion noting that Iraq's per capita income is less than half the required amount. Apparently President Bush was not persuaded.
The bottom line is that a life of poverty is a life without hope. People with something to live for do not become suicide bombers. It is not enough to offer a vague promise of prosperity after peace. Instead Prime Minister Netanyahu now recognizes the importance of improved economic conditions as an important aspect of the path toward peace.
The formula is simple and has been repeated again and again throughout modern history. Rising per capita income (and education) promotes stable democracy, and stable democracies do not attack one another.
One caveat to the income-democracy hypothesis is that countries where the government is highly dependent on oil and natural gas resources can fail to maintain stable democracy even with higher per capita incomes. Venezuela with a per capita income of $7,200 and Russia with $12,200 raise this concern.
Petro-dictatorships form when the people become too dependent on government handouts and foreign demand for oil and natural gas drives the value of a country's currency so high that its other products are priced out of world markets. Recent Iranian demonstrators have been very much aware of this pernicious effect of their country's dependency on oil and natural gas revenues.
For peace in the Middle East and democracy to thrive, regional incomes must rise and governments dependent on natural resources for the bulk of their revenues must diversify. King Abdullah II of Jordan has understood this for some time. Now Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is getting the idea.
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Historian2 your
Anti-Semitic attitudes are really shining brightly for all to see. I know what war crimes are. I’ve spent most of my adult life in service to this nation and have had more education and training on the law of war then you’ve probably ever read.
Your logic is so flawed that it’s almost beyond comprehension. “ imposing starvation and suffering on the original inhabitants of the region” come on, give me a break.
So who were the original inhabitants of the region? I’m sure that the Muslim Palestinians have been there for thousands of years. What happened to the City of David? I don’t suppose the Jewish people had anything to do with that. And since you are such a historian, why were there no Jews there? Why did they have to return to recreate the state of Israel?
Educated
I advise those that are interested look at this wikipedia article.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_Palestinian_territories
Woody in KC with your ignorance on this subject you need correcting. If you would do more research you would find out Palestinians are some of the most educated people on earth.
I am not condoning violence committed by Palestinians, but American ignorance is appalling.
Isreali Negotiations?...
Isreal cannot use Nazi Germany's actions as justification to impose similar attrocities on the palestinians, Wrong is Wrong!. Roger needs to lookup the definition of War Crime before wrongly expounding on it. Meanwhile the facts on the ground indicate the Isrealis are ignoring the boundaries est. at the UN for palestine, and imposing starvation and suffering on the original inhabitants of the region out of Greed and a sense of entitlement similar to the assumed entitlement our gov. personifies on the world thru documents such as PNAC which are simply aspirations of world domination thru the same means, perpetual war and corporate domination with disreguard for human rights. This what has resulted America with its current situation. Despite its financial influence Isreal needs to be sanctioned like the rogue nations that practice the same actions against other nations. Remember Rome!
The people who treat
the palestinians the worst is thier own leadership. Denial of any real education to the young, the ignorant are easier to control, not using resources to improve what they have, and the constant rhetoric of kill all Jews. Even worse they are the lap dogs of other muslim countries who use them to keep Israeli's living in fear. Review history, to the rest of the muslim world the palestinians are lower forms of life.
I don't know if the one sided view of history is rasist or just ignorant. If you are a female from the muslim countries in that region or from the wrong cast, ignorance is a defence. They will not allow those people to become informed, for then thier world would collapse on top of those "leaders".
And the Palestinians
committed no crimes by launching rockets indiscriminately into Israel?
Palestinian Position
If you believe all the land Palestinians occupy belong to Jews then your facts are correct. History of that area says you are not going to change your thinking.
But if you believe this is not so, then Israel is the aggressor and according to Human rights groups the Israeli Defence Force committed crimes against innocent Palestinians during their last incursion into Gaza. And Bebe is full of hot air.
If you really truly want to know
the meaning of the word genocide ask an Israeli. I’m pretty sure that they have a clear grasp of the meaning of the word.
Those anti-Semitics (yes that’s what you are) who blame Israel for everything wrong in Palestine are quite frankly asinine. The government of the Palestinian people has openly called for the destruction of Israel. Who would you suggest that the Israelis negotiate with? Netanyahu has agreed that there needs to be a two state solution. But it is not a one way street. When the government of Palestine renounces the doctrine of the destruction of Israel then and only then will there be meaningful dialogue.
How many rockets does it take the Palestinians firing into Israel before they should respond? How many should come in from Lebanon before they should respond? I’d say that Israel displayed a remarkable degree of patience.
Actions behind Rhetoric
What the Isreali leader is lacking is true substance behind his seemingly bi-polar assertion. The Gaza Siege using war crime white phosphorus (supplied by US who is complicit,)the killing of 1500 civilians along with the blockade (currently still in progress) preventing the Basic neccessities from reaching these victims of Genocide like food and building material would be good for starters (survival). Then obeying the borders established after the war of the 60's and removing the settlements est. on the land designated for them will allow their economy to Begin rebuilding along with their own infrastructure. This is imperative to their recovery as well as their survival as with All human beings. Until Isreals leaders accept the Palestinians in the 2 state
scenerio as humans they (Palestinians) will continue to hurl their handmade explosives against the US sponsored superior war weaponry Isreal possesses and the other Arab nations will continue to attempt to develop nuclear means of defending themselves against the Zionist and their sponsors here in AIPAC and the US gov. Isreal should first acknowledge then eliminate their Nuclear arsenal in the non- proliferation initiative Obama is introducing in the UN. Then All the countries of the middle east can co-exist in peace!. God Bless the Truth!, and let it ring from Sea to Sea.
WOW TRY AND KEEP UP STAR BLOGGERS!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zrsl8o4ZPo
Just a little endoctrination for you this AM ALL!
Will you see this anywhere else in the FALLING STAR??
Insightful presentation, Larry
It is very interesting that Saudi leaders have reached the same conclusion.
The facts on the ground in Gaza suggest that the Palestinians have consistently undermined any efforts directed at a regional economic development initiative.
While it is unquestionably good that Netanyahu has embraced the dynamic reality of the need, it must also be embraced by the Palestinians for it to have any meaningful impact on the peace negotiations.