These videos were reheasal sessions for the “Ken Boxer Live” entertainment and talk show. Robert Boxer was the guest, who discussed political topics of current interest.
These videos were reheasal sessions for the “Ken Boxer Live” entertainment and talk show. Robert Boxer was the guest, who discussed political topics of current interest.
Robert Boxer: Insights 
Hi Nicole,
Thank you so much for your incisive comment. I’m sure everyone reading this blog appreciates it.
I agree with most everything you’ve written here. The only point of possible disagreement is your statement that decentralization is destabilizing. It all really depends on the culture and its history, along with the maturity of its democratic institutions.
For example, I can fully envisage a very stable, yet decentralized, country. In fact, such a state would be my ideal. It’s called federalism, but not the kind of so-called federalism we have in the United States. Here in America, we give lip service to federalism, but in reality, the government in Washington has all the power. It gets to decide–through the federal Supreme Court, for example–where the boundaries exist between federal and state authority. Since it gets to decide, it, in effect, has all the power. It can move, in the end, the boundaries to suit its aims.
The classic example of this were the New Deal-era changes to our economy where the central government usurped many theretofore existing property rights–rights that up until then were exercised by the state and the people.
So it’s not really the decentralization of the Palestinians that is the problem. A free, federalist country–where states’ rights were fully protected (unlike America currently) would naturally cede treaty signing to the central government–that would be one of its limited legitimate functions. And assuming a history within the country of democratic institutions, one would expect the treaty to be honored, irrespective of the decentralized nature of the country. In contrast, the Palestinians, whether living under a centralized or a decentralized government, given their lack of a history of democratic institutions and rule of law, one might expect otherwise.
I enjoyed the discussion so far. I wanted to comment on the lasting peace in Egypt vs the transient peace with the Palestinians. I think it goes way beyond the facilitators (Carter vs Obama). Egypt was already an established civilization…millenia old. The Palestinians are an ad-hoc ethnic “organization,” at best. Additionally, with the internet and globalization, there is a “de-centralization” of power. This de-centralization is a de-stabilizing force, that makes government-based treaties/peace processes very difficult even in an established society like Egypt. Less established societies, like the Palestinians, don’t stand a chance to adhere to any centralized agreements.