For the third week in a row, we have continued to receive a number of articles, e-mails, and comments with regards to the series of articles that have been published in the Harbus “Worldly Views” section beginning with the “Sharon vs. Arafat” piece two weeks ago. As I stated when we launched this section in January, one of my goals was that the Worldly Views section would come to serve as one of many platforms that would enable the HBS community to discuss issues of an international nature, whether they are political or not.
Consistent with this belief, I followed the debate that surfaced on the pages of the Harbus with great interest, and have attempted to allow everyone who cared to voice a particular point of view the opportunity to do so.
Nevertheless, this section is designed to cover many different issues, and should not get stuck on one particular topic, regardless of what this topic may be. With this in mind, and being fully cognizant of the fact that an issue such as peace in the Middle East will continue to be of interest to many different readers, I respectfully ask that we move on with the dialogue so that we do not fall prey to a cycle of pros and cons that becomes repetitive, and, ultimately, less engaging.
By no means am I suggesting that we should refrain from covering this topic; I am only asking that we think creatively of new angles and cover perspectives that have yet to be mentioned during the last few weeks. Given the region’s richness in history and tremendous cultural endowment, this should not be a difficult task for members of the HBS community.
I am eager to have this section reflect the diversity of the HBS community, and it is therefore my hope that this particular debate will encourage many others to send their thoughts and opinions about the different regions around the world to the Worldly Views section, thus participating in shaping the public awareness of the HBS community.
From the Editor In Chief:
One last additional positive note. In a recent development, the MBA Program Office, under Dean Carl Kester and Betsy Brink, together with Dean Kim Clark will host on Monday, March 11, a major event featuring Ambassador Dennis Ross entitled, “Prospects for Peace in the Middle East,” as part of the HBS Rising to the Challenge speaker series. Ambassador Ross played a leading role in the former Bush and Clinton administrations’ involvement in the Middle East peace process, and his visit marks a sterling coup for our administration and this speaker series.
According to The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, “[Ambassador Ross] was instrumental in assisting Israelis and Palestinians in reaching the 1995 Interim Agreement; he also successfully brokered the Hebron Accord in 1997, facilitated the Israeli-Jordan peace treaty, and intensively worked to bring Israel and Syria together.”
Please see the ad in this issue for more information. We hope the event will mark a coming-together for our community in the interest of a greater understanding of and shared efforts toward the achievement of peace in the Middle East – and around the world – throughout our careers together in leadership.
