Embrace Change

There's nothing like spending August in New York during a year of both Olympics and upcoming presidential elections to reinforce the American part of my identity. The showcase of American athletic talent on display in Beijing was an inspiring advertisement for the power of both the individual and the state in a democracy. Those wholesome, corn-fed, free-range gymnasts exhuded an honesty that seemed out of reach to the robotic pre-teen Chinese girls, and Michael Phelps' accomplishments renewed the time-worn idea that every individual retains the potential to do what has never been done before.

Even more exciting has been following the nominations for Democratic and Republican candidates for president. The fact that a woman and a black man were the two main contenders for the Democratic nomination is an astounding development in the advancement of the American democratic system. The monopoly of American presidential politics since the country's inception by white, anglo-saxon, protestant men has finally been busted. Millions of under-represented, disenfranchised citizens finally feel their votes might actually count for something. As a result of Barack Obama's nomination, the number of voters expected to go to the polls in 2008 will break all records, and this is a true victory for democracy. Even if the Democrats lose, the revolution has been won because a regression to the old domination is unthinkable. The Republicans proved this by choosing a woman to run on the vice-presidential ticket. As conservative and reactionary as she may be, her presence still represents 51% of the citizens of the United States and their stake in the future of the country.

So, as a proud American, what messages can I bring back with me to Israel and our Palestinian neighbors this year? First of all, change is a good thing. We are a work in progress and we must continue to search for new options, new formulas and new leaders. It always seems safer to rely on the familiar but perhaps the keys to our most difficult issues are lying in an unobtrusive place, waiting to be discovered? Tzipi Livni is the most promising face in Israeli politics today. The Israeli WASP (white, ashkenazi, smolani (left-wing) paratrooper) old boys club is always quick to put down a woman for being soft and militarily inexperienced, but I have long maintained that if women were running the Middle East our conflicts would have been solved long ago. Livni is extremely intelligent, hard-working, pragmatic and honest and her lack of an army career means she will be much more capable of thinking outside the narrow, formulaic box of retired generals. Viva la difference!

The other message I would like to impart, particularly to the Palestinians, is that even in a healthy democracy change does not take place overnight; it's a painstakingly slow, laborious process that regresses a step backward for every two forward. It took one hundred years after the elimination of slavery before the civil rights act was passed to finally guarantee equal rights to blacks in America, and over forty years since then for a black man to represent a major party in presidential elections. It's a long, uphill slog but it can be, and has been, done. However, to paraphrase an American writer, with dreams come responsibilities. When Barack Obama raised the issue of the failure of black men as fathers to a black audience he demonstrated that the ability to question inwardly and to accept responsibilty for failure is a critical characteristic of true leadership. Is there a Palestinian leader out there somewhere who is capable of galvanizing a nation of under-represented, disenfranchised citizens under the flag of true equality and freedom for all? I doubt it, but being American means you never lose hope.