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—Voices from the Sensible Center— Interpreting the Middle
East for North Americans— Current Affairs 2 Potpourri of Problems—Humphrey came into the office the other day and said he had a whole list of Middle East situations he wanted to ask us about. But by the time we had given our views on the first three, he was so depressed that he didn't want to continue. Who could blame him? 3 The Western Sahara War—Another ongoing war that dropped out of the news for most of the past year is the one in the Western Sahara between Algerian-backed guerrillas and Morocco. One big reason is that not much has been going on there, ever since the Moroccans built a sort of "Maginot Line" in the desert. But the war is not yet finished. 4 A Triangular Fight vs. Pollution—For the first time, U.S. private industry and the U.S. government are getting together to help a number of Middle East governments control environmental problems at their industrial plants. In case you're wondering how the EPA would have the time these days, please note that the U.S. agency involved is the AID. 4 Lobby Activities—Americans are not as supportive of Israel as they once were, according to a little-publicized Harris survey taken last month. And at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, a council now being formed will soon be offering free legal advice to ADC chapters nationwide. Regular Features 2 Editorial—Sometimes we wonder how Israeli officials can keep a straight face when they accuse other countries of setting "pre-conditions" for talks while going merrily along setting pre-conditions of their own. We thought it was worth taking a look at one conspicuous example of this practice. 6 Facts For Your Files—A
Chronology of U.S.-Middle East Relations Excerpted remarks from President Reagan's meeting February 23 with reporters 7 Book Review—While the attention of the world was focused on the report issued by Israel's commission of inquiry on the Beirut massacre, a distinguished international commission headed by former Irish foreign minister and Nobel Prize winner Sean MacBride came out with its own report on Israel's behavior throughout the invasion of Lebanon. For the Israelis, it didn't make very good reading. 8 Personality—After less than two years, Wharton's Middle East Economic Service is making a mark in the forecasting industry—and is even making money. Its founder and director, Vahan Zanoyan, is a peripatetic Lebanese economist who has the unusual habit of making econometrics sound alive and interesting. |