No other region of the world utterly fascinates me in the way that the Middle East does. While I love reading Russian history, and an amazed at the rich past of countries like China, none can compare to the culture, religions, peoples, and complex historical relationships of the Middle East. That region of the world so often dominates the headlines, and once again that is the case, as Israeli President Sharon lies near death and the future of the Palestinians is in the hands of fate.

Sharon understood, and demonstrated though his cogent policy as of late, that land for peace is the only route that will allow for long-term security for Israel, and allows for relaxation of hostiles by Arabs and Palestinians. His opponents would argue he used guile to get the Gaza cleared of settlers, but enlightened observers around the world know the illegal settlements were wrong, and if left unchecked would only pose a larger problem for the future of Israel. Sharon was shrewd in his maneuverings, but historically correct in the way he viewed the future of Israel through the lenses of the past.

There was every indication that Sharon's centrist party would have prevailed in the coming March elections, leaving him in charge of a mandate to move aggressively towards his legacy. He would have started the process of dismantling settlements in the West Bank, and we can now only speculate how far down the road he might have traveled for final settlement talks.

All this is a long way from the horror that Sharon allowed to befall the Palestinian camps in the south of Lebanon in the 1980's. As a young man working in broadcasting at the time, I was outraged as the news reports on the hour would update the madness that defied any rational motives. So it was difficult for me to understand how Sharon could ever become a legitimate leader of Israel, and become a player on the world stage.