U.S. Can Play Key Role in Mideast Prosperity

James Flanigan’s column, “Mideast Needs Uncle Sam’s Helping Hand” (Aug. 4), paints an alluring picture of a potentially great economic opportunity.

Flanigan writes that the 15 Arab countries, plus Israel and Iran, are about to become one of the world’s great growth markets. Population will double in the next 20 years to more than 300 million, creating a vast market for all types of goods and services. All that will be needed to bring prosperity to these underdeveloped economies is American know-how, American business ingenuity and American investment.

I have no quarrel with Flanigan’s hypothesis. Assuming that Arabs can finally accept Israel as a fact of life and turn their attention to bettering their own lives, then certainly anything is possible.

The missing ingredient in Flanigan’s formula it seems to me is the role that Israel can play in bringing about the desired results. In the Mideast, we have the perfect combination of players: The Arab countries with the population, and in the case of the oil producing countries, much wealth. Then there is Israel, a tiny country, but loaded with talented, budding entrepreneurs. What a natural combination to make it happen.

But, one may ask, how can these “natural” enemies ever cooperate in such a cause? If we could muzzle the leaders of both sides for a while and listen to the aspirations of the man in the street, then such cooperation would come about, driven by that most reliable human instinct--enlightened self interest.

After all, both Arabs and Jews are Semites. They both trace their roots to the same Abraham. They have more in common than what divides them. If only the Arabs will accept Israel as a friendly neighbor and realize that it is in their own best interests to work with the Jews, and not against them, then their lands may also flow with milk and honey.

America can play an important role in bringing about this new cooperation. We must stop trying to force the parties into a deal that neither wants. Instead, we must take the high road by painting Flanigan’s picture of a mighty, dynamic, growth area where all peoples will prosper and flourish, if only they will allow the historic friendships to rise to the surface.

This is the “win-win” solution for the Mideast, and is, I believe, in keeping with God’s grand plan for that area.

LARRY F. STERNBERG

Santa Ana