As two of the world’s major religions mark holy observances centered on hope — Passover and Easter — it’s heartening to see that in the region where those faiths were born, new hope is rising from the ashes of hate and oppression.
In Iraq, a brutal dictatorship has been overthrown, and the first steps in building a new political system are being taken. Nearby, the root of much Middle East tension — the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — may take an important turn with the swearing in of a new Palestinian government that, in turn, will launch new peace talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state by 2005.
In another trouble spot, North Korea and the United States have agreed to sit down and talk, raising hope that their showdown over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program can be solved diplomatically.
All of this is welcome news in a world beset by discord and terrorism. To be sure, enormous challenges remain, but meaningful moves toward overcoming them shouldn’t be overlooked.
The United States, having dismantled the brutal Iraqi regime, now carries the bigger responsibility of ensuring that a peaceful transition to a stable political system takes place with appropriate speed. It also must do what is necessary to ensure that as U.N. sanctions against Iraq are lifted, oil proceeds remain under Iraqi control for the benefit of the Iraqi people.
The Bush Administration also must make the most of its role as a facilitator of peace between Israel and the Palestinians, following through on President Bush’s promise to implement a "road map" to peace once the new Palestinian prime minister and cabinet are seated. Achieving progress toward long-term peace there will do more than any number of wars to win the United States friends in the Arab world and melt away the hatred that spawns terrorism.
The ominous stalemate over security issues with North Korea is less so today because the Bush Administration made an important concession, agreeing to sit down with North Korean and Chinese representatives rather than insisting that the region’s democracies be part of the discussion. The North Korea nuclear issue is a long way from a solution, but at least the ice is beginning to thaw.
As many of us engage in our own meaningful observances in the coming days, we can take a measure of comfort in the idea that in some places where it was recently hard to find, hope is very much alive.
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