At the Wall Street Journal, Richard Haass knocks down the domino theory. If you really think peace between Israel and the Palestinians will make other regional problems with Iraq, Afghanistan, Al-Qaida, and Arab democratization fall into place, think again.
According to Haass, Mideast peace will actually complicate efforts to rein in Iran's nuclear program:
The greatest concern is Iran's push for nuclear weapons. But what motivates this pursuit is less a desire to offset Israel's nuclear weapons than a fear of conventional military attack by the U.S. Iran's nuclear bid is also closely tied to its desire for regional primacy. Peace between Israel and the Palestinians would not weaken Iran's nuclear aspirations. It could even reinforce them. Iran and the groups it backs (notably Hamas and Hezbollah) would be sidelined by the region's embrace of a Palestinian state and acceptance of Israel, perhaps causing Tehran to look to nuclear weapons to compensate for its loss of standing and influence.
