OLD BORDERS, NEW REALITIES

By Joe Klein, October 8 The next U.S. President will confront a Middle East that looks nothing like the past. Barack Obama told 60 minutes, “This is going to be a rock path,” referring to the turmoil in the Middle East. It was mainly caused by Europeans’ fantastic drawing of borderlines when they divided the Ottoman Empire. The lines produced the countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jordan, and Israel. The lines were drawn after WWI regardless of the tribal and sectarian geography. The new President will have to face the unrealistic borderlines. Romney’s proposal to improve schools and justice systems in Arab countries showed that he is for a moment a plausible candidate. (109 words)