Trojan War's lessons for Iraq

Page 2 of 2 -- Here's one idea: Offer what it costs to wage war in Iraq for one year -- roughly $87 billion -- to Israelis and Palestinians to compensate the settlers and the refugees as part of a comprehensive two-state solution. The territorial claims of the settlers and refugees obviously go far beyond what can be accounted for in dollars, but it is also a fact that a majority of Israelis, Palestinians, Arabs -- indeed the entire international community -- supports a framework that is common to the many plans that have surfaced, including Camp David II, the so-called Saudi proposal, and more recently the Geneva initiative.

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A daring offer of compensation could very well serve as the catalyst for finally achieving a lasting peace. President Bush could earn himself a place in history as an inspirational peacemaker if he used the "political capital" he has earned to roll back his tax cuts -- which amount to a few hundred dollars a year for the average family -- and inspire the country instead to sacrifice a little income for a cause that is incommensurately larger.

Within Iraq itself, the president could reduce bloodshed considerably, I believe, if he went there and spoke directly to the people. Much has been made of the (very real) power of freedom and ideas to inspire ordinary Iraqis to embrace change. Why not tour the country, including Fallujah, and address the people in secured arenas or other public places? To many Iraqis, Bush's remoteness from them is just another emblem of the untouchable supremacy of the American empire of military and corporate might.

The president can give Iraqis a taste of freedom's exhilaration with his own version of "Ich bin ein Berliner."

"Trojan Women" ends with the defeated women being dragged away as their city smolders in the distance. The play presents this as the ineluctable conclusion to the logic of the Trojan War, a logic so powerful that it rivals the power of the gods. President Bush, as the leader of the world, has the power to convert tragedy into peace.

Yu Jin Ko is an associate professor of English at Wellesley College.