Articles and Op-Eds: 2003

Amman, Jordan -- For two centuries, Westerners have traveled to the Middle East, wave after wave, to study, to transform, to inhabit. Each wave brought its own view to the region, then brought home a new perspective that changed attitudes and actions. The latest wave includes Hollywood.

The first wave consisted of scholar-adventurers, such as Jean-Francois Champollion, who translated Egyptian hieroglyphics in 1824. Or Richard Burton, who disguised himself as a Muslim and visited the Great Mosque in Mecca.

Amman, Jordan -- You know the old saying: don't wish too hard for something, because you might get it. Someone should tell President George W. Bush that democracy in the Arab world might be great in theory, but maybe not so great for America in practice.

Jordan is one of few countries still ruled by a hereditary monarch. On the other hand, like his father, the late King Hussein, the new king, Abdullah, is a moderate. So while the government here is heavy-handed, it is nonetheless seeking to steer Jordan toward modernization.

What's the real meaning of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"? The filmmakers' intent may not be clear, but the film's reception is clear enough: Audiences love it. Which is a clue that the outward expansion of U.S. power, like the film itself, has yet to run its course.

Land for peace? That phrase is constantly being heard in the Middle East. These days the Israeli government seems willing to part with much of the Gaza Strip, some of the West Bank -- and none of the Golan Heights.

If that's the case, Syria will continue to be the enemy of Israel. On my visit to Damascus last week, almost every Syrian to whom I spoke said loudly that the return of the Golan Heights, which were under Syrian control until the June 1967 war, is a non-negotiable element of any settlement with Israel.