Palestine First

Pervez Musharraf has offered to mediate between Israel and Palestine - and even visit Israel - if asked. In doing so, he mentions the oft-repeated formula for peace in the Muslim world:

The Pakistani leader suggested that the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will not be solved unless solutions for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are found first.

Most American observers of the region don't understand this. But it's obvious. Iraq is suffering from a low-scale civil war between Shia and Sunni. Afghanistan has an Islamist guerrilla movement fighting an Afghan-unity government. The common problem, as you can see, is Palestine.

I see things in broader terms than Mr. Musharraf. Solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would also probably end global warming (isn't it obvious?), and would clearly reunite the two Koreas and end world poverty.