Speech Introducing Gen. Colin Powell, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

It is an honor and a privilege to welcome General Colin Powell to the Issam M. Fares Lecture Series at Tufts University.

Your participation, General Powell, as a man who rose in the ranks of the US Army, held its top military posts, and dealt directly with the question of war and peace in the Middle East acquires special importance, at this time.

The objective of the Issam M. Fares series is to further the cause of peace on the foundations of justice. Peace that does not take into account the principles of justice or the larger issues of human rights will not last.

Without justice, one can impose peace but cannot maintain it. We should all keep this in mind as we search for a lasting peace in the Middle East.

As a Lebanese, I have a special interest in the Middle East, and in the role of the US in helping us attain peace in our region.

The destiny of Lebanon is part of the destiny of its region. If there is no peace in the region, there will be no real peace in Lebanon, and vice versa.

We suffered war in Lebanon for some two decades, and we experienced the dislocation, the destruction, and the misery that come with it. Only those who experience war fully appreciate the blessings of peace.

We have learned in Lebanon that peace cannot be achieved without taking the interests of all parties into account. We have learned that there are parties, small and large, but that they all have a role to play in building peace.

Of course, of all the capitals engaged in the Middle East Peace Process, Washington exercises the greatest influence. Washington however cannot go it alone.

It can orchestrate and encourage; it can point out other courses of action. But the objective must always be to realize a comprehensive and durable peace in which the rights of all parties are recognized.

Peace “by pieces” does not work. Despite agreements with Egypt and Jordan, and in part with the Palestinian Authority, we still do not have peace. Indeed, peace may be slipping into a state of violence and war.

Peace will be effective only when the fundamental issues inherent in the Palestine question are adequately addressed, and when the interests of Syria and Lebanon are addressed as well.

When one thinks of purely short-term gains, one is likely to shoot from the hip, to act in anger, and to react in anger. In such an atmosphere, the strong is tempted to dictate, and the weak is tempted to react violently.

Either course is a sure way to failure. The October events in Jerusalem and the West Bank are a vivid example of that.

In addition, in the Middle East, it is impossible to separate between religion and politics. With us, the religious symbol is a fact – a hard, concrete, stubborn fact. It tends to mobilize masses, generate violence, and overturn regimes.

In the peace process there are Jewish symbols, Christian symbols, and Islamic symbols, and they all converge in Jerusalem.

Given the religious complexity of Jerusalem, the strategic importance of the region, and its economic place in world trade, the peace effort must engage not only the US, but also the UN, Russia, Europe, and the Arab-Islamic World.

The key to a just peace is to recognize the basic resolutions of the United Nations and to proceed from them. Agreements on land, on water, and on trade are important and perhaps, necessary steps to an enduring peace. But what we need ultimately is the readiness of the parties to recognize each other, to learn to accept the plurality that exists, and to have the wisdom and the will to live together.

We have a long way to go before we reach this goal. Peace in our region is a long process. It faces major dangers and challenges, but we should persist.

Again, I welcome General Powell to our Forum, and I thank him for his readiness to take time off from his busy schedule to share his thoughts with us.

In his life the General has overcome many hurdles; hence, he can appreciate the hurdles that stand in the way of peace in our region, and he might be able to help us in overcoming them.