Effingham's Rotary meeting featured a fascinating speaker, this week.



Dorthy Drummond is an adjunct professor at St. Mary of the Wood's College and Indiana State University.  Her most recent book on the Middle East "Holy Land Whose Land?" offers a fascinating historical perspective of how an area the size of Indiana has caused global tensions for decades. 

Her speech was a primer on the political and geographical issues that make a resolution so difficult.

She laid blame on all sides, including Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab street.  But she specifically pointed out that Yasser Arafat and his cronies lined their pockets (and Swiss Bank accounts) with BILLIONS of Western and Arab dollars, while doing little to move the peace process forward.

There are two positives that point to the possibility of peace in the future.  First, former Senator George Mitchell is the US envoy to find reconciliation in the region.  While his task might seem fruitless, it was Senator Mitchell that brought peace to Northern Ireland in the 1990's.  And Mitchell has stated that he will only remain at his post as long as he believes peace is a possibility. 

Second, Palestine is starting to enjoy some level of economic prosperity.  It's no Silicon Valley.  But, for decades, Arafat and his cronies had little reason to bring peace, as it would end their money train. AND, peace in Palestine would reveal that the state had no sustainable economy.  Terrorism persisted.

Now, many of the same elements that resolved the long standing Northern Ireland debacle, offer hope that the Middle East could enjoy the same reward.