Middle East: On the Bridge To Nowhere

Why the U.S. is having so much trouble bringing Arabs and Israelis to the negotiating table

Usually, busy diplomats travel from Amman to Jerusalem by air, but James Baker took the less traveled path last week and made the trip by road. With his two-hour drive, the Secretary of State wanted to underscore just how close the two adversaries are. But his stroll over the Allenby Bridge spanning the River Jordan, which marks the border, made the equally telling point that both sides are loath to come together. The two Jordanian officers who accompanied the Secretary midway across the bridge and the waiting Israeli escort spoke not a word to one another.

Baker's lonely crossing was an...

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