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| —Voices from the Sensible Center— Interpreting the Middle
East for North Americans— Inside This Issue 3 Open Letter to President Reagan—Fifty-three former U.S. civilian and military leaders in the foreign affairs field urge Ronald Reagan to take on the biggest role of his career—bringing "peace to an area tortured by decades of intermittent bloodshed." The Washington Report invites all of its readers to join these leaders in issuing the challenge. 2 Editorial—Though events of the last month have thrown the Mideast peace process off course, scuttling the ship and abandoning the voyage is premature. There's a way to peace, if the President has the will. 9 Policy—It's been almost 200 years since George Washington cautioned his fellow countrymen to eschew "passionate attachments" to particular nations when conducting foreign policy. In his penetrating analysis of why Flight 847 was skyjacked, Former Undersecretary of State George Ball shows us the price we've paid for rejecting our first President's advice in our current dealings with the Middle East. 5 Update on Congress—The American news media read an Administration defeat into Congress' resolution to postpone consideration of the Jordanian arms package until March. Dennis Wamsted, our man-on-the-scene, reports that there's far more to the vote than meets the eye. 6 Trade and Finance—Like Mark Twain, our economic analyst, John Haldane, is something of a skeptic. He thinks reports about OPEC's demise "have been greatly exaggerated." 7 Lobbies and Activists—Alex Odeh and Leon Klinghoffer were both innocent victims of terrorism. As U.S. Arab and Jewish communities mourned them, they also assessed the somber implications of their deaths. 16 Personality—In his life, Alex Odeh sought to liberate debate about the Arab-Israeli conflict from ignorance, prejudice and bigotry. His death may finally unify his fellow Arab-Americans. 16 Book Review—If you want a one-dimensional portrait of the Arabs and their world, just read the newspapers or turn on the tube. But if you're in the market for full-bodied sketches based on 30 years of encounters with real Arabs, we suggest reading the Ferneas' new book. |