The Foreign Service Journal, December 2006

ners nor losers.” Professor Soli Ozel of Bilgi University in Turkey explained why the government in Ankara opted to contribute forces to UNIFIL II despite the public’s mis- givings. Nawaf Obaid of the Saudi National Security Assessment Project acknowledged that “the actual extent of the damage is now being realized, as is the fact that Hezbollah will not be able to rebuild what they have promised. And the apology by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for the war was a big change in the perception that [it] had actually been victorious.” Lebanese think-tank director Oussama Safa, writing in late August, appeared to agree, noting “Hezbollah has, in reality, given up a major part of its ability to maneuver.” A month later another Lebanese academic, Habib C. Malik, addressed the possibility of some sort of peace process emerging from the war and noted that it really depended on more distant issues. As he wrote, “A Syrian-Israeli peace is a function of the peaceful resolution of the current impasse with Iran over the nuclear issue,” while a Lebanese-Israeli process still depended, at least in part, on Syria. But Damascus, according to Bassma Kodmani, a Syrian who serves as executive director of the Arab Reform Initiative, was preoccupied elsewhere: “The priority today for Damascus is to be rid of the pressure from the interna- tional community regarding the Hariri investigation.” That Saudis, Iranians, Lebanese and Syrians all con- tribute to the bitterlemons project alongside Israelis and Palestinians testifies both to the growing readiness of all parties in the Middle East to debate their views openly — and to the power of the Internet to break down “tradi- tional” barriers of enmity and suspicion. While Khatib and I have no agreed plan for solving the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, we have found a useful formula for expanding and deepening the discussion of both causes and possible solutions. A growing number of Web practi- tioners who deal with the Middle East, from Syrians to Americans, have begun to copy the bitterlemons format for promoting free and open discussion among rivals and enemies — a very necessary step before the region’s pressing problems can be resolved. F O C U S 32 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 Get Your Finances In Line With SDFCU Online You can depend on State Department Federal Credit Union for the ultimate in security and convenience with SDFCU Online banking. This FREE service allows you to access your Credit Union accounts via the Internet anytime, from anywhere in the world. Just go to www.sdfcu.org and click the SDFCU Online logo. You can conduct the following Credit Union business: Transfer funds between accounts Check current account balances View your account history over the last 15 months View check images View and pay your credit card bill online Pay Bills and much more!* See just how easy SDFCU Online is! Visit us at www.sdfcuonline.org and check out the easy demo! If you’re interested in becoming a member of State Department Federal Credit Union, give our Member Service Center a call at 703- 706-5000 , or outside the D.C. Metro area at 800-296-8882 . You can also email us at sdfcu@sdfcu.org . SDFCU Online puts us at your service, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whenever you need us the most. Sign up today! *The Bill Payer service is available at no charge for Capital Club members. Otherwise, there is a low monthly fee of $3.95 for unlimited transactions.