NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The proposed trip of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the Middle East will undoubtedly encourage many to draw parallels to Henry Kissinger’s famed shuttle diplomacy after the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, according to Vanderbilt University Professor of History Thomas Alan Schwartz.
Schwartz, who is writing a biography of Kissinger, noted several similarities between the two advisers. “Rice, who shares with Kissinger the unique distinction of having been national security adviser immediately before becoming secretary of state, is seen as the dominant foreign policy adviser to President Bush as Kissinger was to President Nixon,” he said. “Both represent leaders suffering from domestic woes and political unpopularity, Nixon from Watergate and Bush from the Iraq War. Now as in 1973, the secretary of state will seek to exploit the aftermath of war to push the parties toward serious peace talks.”
Yet, Schwartz said there are important differences. “Kissinger dealt with such leaders as Anwar Sadat of Egypt, who, despite having launched the war, wanted some type of peace with Israel and welcomed the American role,” he said. “It is not at all clear that the leaders of Hezbollah or Hamas and their backers, Syria and Iran, are interested in ending hostilities with Israel.” Schwartz said that the Nixon administration, although it resupplied Israel in the October war, was also perceived by the Arabs as more of a mediator in the region, seeking to keep Soviet influence at bay because of its Cold War objectives. In contrast, the Bush Administration is characterized as almost an unconditional ally of Israel.”
Schwartz believes these differences may make it exceedingly difficult for Secretary Rice to pull off the shuttle diplomacy triumphs that Henry Kissinger achieved more than 30 years ago.
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