A Resolution

The United States and France reached agreement on a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an end to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas as a first step toward a political settlement of the conflict. The U.N. Security Council received the draft to review, send it to their governments and suggest any changes. A vote could follow Monday or Tuesday.

The draft resolution calls for a “full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations,” as reported by Reuters.

To use a phrase popular a century ago, bully for them. It has only taken three weeks and hundreds of dead, hundreds more displaced, and a polarized sectarian state in Iraq, Iran, and every over country in the Middle East immediately surrounding Israel for a resolution to be written. It should be stressed that this is only a draft resolution, so as is all too often the case, a country may object and effectively stall a cease-fire. Countries like China or Russia or Germany may be such a country, though I believe everyone wants a cease-fire and wants it quickly.

As for the United States, recent reports show that support for President Bush is waning. As my blog yesterday indicated his leadership on the crisis in the Middle East has been weak and ineffective, so I am not surprised at such a report.

I have not wished this blog to become partisan nor biased. Events over the preceeding weeks have become very personal and have influenced my posting. For my readers I offer this as my explanation and make this final observation. Perception in politics is key to popularity as well as survival. The same applies to diplomacy and the perception by the Arab world of the West, in particular, the United States has not been improved by the Bush Administration's actions these past few weeks or the presidents "working" vacation in Texas.