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Push for Mideast peace could raise Clinton's stature in historyDecember 8, 1999 From correspondent Wolf Blitzer WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The dramatic news that peace talks between Israel and Syria will resume is exactly the kind of development that White House aides have been searching for in their efforts to alter President Clinton's impeachment- tainted legacy. International achievements oftentimes have resurrected the legacies of unpopular presidents. The classic example is President Truman, who left office in 1953 with low approval ratings.
The end of the Cold War revived interest in many of Truman's achievements in office, such as the Marshall Plan to rebuild post-war Europe and the founding of NATO. Today, Truman is widely regarded by historians as one of the country's ten greatest presidents. Truman's successors also had the opportunity to shine on the international stage: President Kennedy stood up to the Russians during the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Nixon opened the door to China, and President Reagan pressed for an end to communism by urging Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev "to tear down this wall." "Our best presidents have really combined domestic leadership with heroic achievements in foreign affairs or war," said Dr. Allan Lichtman, a professor of history at American University. With a thriving economy that he doesn't want to tamper with, but a series of domestic scandals that will always tarnish his presidency, Clinton hopes to bolster his legacy with international achievements during the 13 months he has left in office.
CNN has learned that Clinton talked with Middle East leaders approximately 30 times over the past four and a half months in a bid to restart peace talks in the region. "History will not forgive a failure to seize this opportunity to achieve a comprehensive peace," Clinton said Wednesday. He also said that he hoped peace talks between Israel and Lebanon could be resumed, now that Syria and Israel have agreed to negotiations.
Elsewhere on the world stage, the president can at least take partial credit for some of the efforts of his special envoy to Northern Ireland, George Mitchell. After 30 years of bloodshed in Northern Ireland, a new Belfast government of Protestants and Catholics held its first session last week. But Clinton also suffered a major international embarrassment last week when World Trade Organization talks in Seattle collapsed amid protests from environmentalists and labor unions. And in October, the U.S. Senate rejected the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the 154-nation agreement to halt underground nuclear tests that Clinton signed in 1996. With other potential hot spots looming -- including an increasingly unstable and corrupt Russia and missile threats from Stalinist North Korea -- peace in the Middle East has gained even greater significance to Clinton and his legacy. |
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MORE STORIES:Wednesday, December 8, 1999
• Push for Mideast peace could raise Clinton's stature in history • New York's myriad of small parties could determine Senate race • 2000 elections briefs • California is the biggest prize in front-loaded primary schedule • Clinton Administration threatens suit against gun industry • Reno considering indictment of Wen Ho Lee • Rep. Dingell released from hospital after fainting at gala dinner • Politicians flock to Silicon Valley seeking campaign contributions • Smith says he will run again in 2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
