Bush's swansong visit

By Daryoush Bavar;  Tehran In the twilight months of his presidency, George W. Bush has launched a Middle East trip which is taking him to occupied Palestine, the West Bank, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. There are speculations that he might also visit Iraq and Lebanon. On the eve of the visit, the former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright has criticized President Bush's foreign policy lamenting that "The reputation of the United States has suffered greatly in the last seven years. " Bush's rather lengthy tour follows a promise he made at a conference in Annapolis in November to help revive the already faltering Middle East peace process and forge an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians before he steps down in January 2009. Before embarking his tour, President Bush told regional newspapers he believed Israel and the Palestinians could reach a peace deal. His comments, however; were met with widespread skepticism as his administration has been criticized for serving Israel's interests. There seems to be good reasons for the distrust. The pledges made at the much-touted Annapolis conference have already been broken after Israel wasted no time to step up attacks against Palestinians in Gaza Strip and announce plans to build new settlements on the occupied lands. At the same time, there are seemingly no plans for a tripartite meeting between Mr. Bush, Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chief, Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the commitments they made at the Annapolis summit. The issue of Israeli settlements has been one of the most divisive issues in the long-running Israeli-Palestinians conflict. Mr. Bush has recently called on Israel to dismantle the so-called "wildcat outposts" on occupied Palestinian lands. Wildcat outposts are those Israeli settlements which have been built in the West Bank without the Israeli cabinet's permission. Bush, however, fell short of urging Israel to dismantle other settlements while the international community considers all Israeli settlements on the occupied Palestinian lands as illegal. Some media outlets report that in his visit to Tel Aviv, Israel will press Mr. Bush to agree that any future Palestinian state will have no military forces. It would only granted limited independence and Israel will continue to retain control of its borders, air space and the Jordan Valley. Israel also wants to continue to operate in Palestinian areas whenever it deems necessary. A US formal agreement to the demands will raise doubt about Washington's serious commitment for a just peace on an equal footing. President Bush once set ambitions to transform the Middle East through 'democratic reforms'. His so-called 'democracy promotion' project began in June 2005, when US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a speech in Cairo, Egypt, urging the Egyptian government to undertake democratic reforms. The project, however; suffered a setback after Hamas' January 2006 victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections and Washington's reaction to the victory which disillusioned many in the Arab world. Thomas Carothers, director of the Carnegie Endowment Program on Law and Democracy, has written in his new book Critical Mission: Essays on Democracy Promotion that the so-called 'democracy promotion' has become the leading theme of declared US policy in the Middle East. "Where democracy appears to fit in well with US security and economic interests, the United States promotes democracy. Where democracy clashes with other significant interests, it is downplayed or even ignored," Carothers says. In spite of Bush's much-touted policies of "Greater Middle East", "Promotion of Democracy" and democratic reforms, there are still 'life-time presidents and monarchs' in the region who are Washington's closest allies. The other major issue of Bush's trip is Iran. Bush has said Washington would work with its allies in the Middle East to develop a security plan to counter Iran and to rally support for international pressure against Tehran. He did not provide details about the plan. Bush also intends to explain the recent US intelligence report which implies the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program. The US has actually been trying to shore up support for its anti-Iranian policy in the past years. Last month, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned at a Persian Gulf security conference in Bahrain about Iran's growing influence in the region. "Everywhere you turn, it is the policy of Iran to foment instability and chaos," Gates claimed. Despite the US attempts, in December 2007, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council in Doha, Qatar and gave a speech at the gathering. It was the first such appearance at the Council by an Iranian leader. Shortly afterwards, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia invited President Ahmadinejad to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj. Reacting to growing ties between Iran and Arab nations, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said that there was no point in Arabs treating Iran as an enemy. These developments signify that Washington's policy of isolating Iran and forming an anti-Iran alliance sounds outdated and ineffective. As Bush starts his extended tour of the Middle East, the American people have formally begun the process of selecting his successor. Some observers say as he prepares to leave the White House in almost one year from now, his visit is nothing but a farewell visit, which provides a chance for a public relation practice.