Clinton Declares U.S. will Vigorously Pursue Palestinian State

Those are strong words from the Secretary of State and they are sure to catch the attention of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister designate of Isreal, and other leaders in the region. And while in one breath Hillary Clinton declared the U.S. goal of a Palestinian state, she was careful to temper that rhetoric with statements that support Israel's right to determine their own course of action in the matter and that the U.S. alliance with Israel would not be threatened if the two countries disagree on how best to solve the situation in the Middle East.

Hillary also took the opportunity to announce that the U.S. would soon be sending two envoys to Syria, in an attempt to re-establish diplomatic relations, which had ceased in 2005. The Bush administration withdrew the U.S. ambassador from Syria in 2005, claiming that the Syrian government was sponsoring terrorist groups and intentionally allowing insurgents to cross into Iraq and attack U.S. forces there.

The coming days should give the world a glimpse into what type of progress Hillary and the Obama administration can hope to make in trying to stem the violence in the Middle East. They are going in with a clear emphasis on diplomacy, while trying not to appear soft. They are trying to engage hostile nations in an open dialogue in which the U.S. hopes it can start to make progress toward some of its stated goals, such as a nuclear-free Iran and a Palestinian state. There is some hope that the Obama administration can succeed where the Bush administration failed, but every administration brings renewed optimism to what has proven to be a centuries-old problem.