The Middle East peace process has obsessed and collapsed over the Palestinian question for decades. Ehud Barak wants to redefine the issue; instead of focusing on the Palestinian question, he wants to focus on a peace treaty with Syria. He has good reason to believe that Syria is ready for a peace settlement. The problem, in our eyes, is not Syria but Turkey. Israel and Turkey are allied against Syria. The United States is highly dependent on Turkey for its regional strategy and is not eager to see the boat rocked. The U.S. must be convinced that accords with Syria can be the foundation for Syria's general integration into America's regional system and not the preface for a geopolitical upheaval. On the whole, from the American point of view, sticking with the Palestinians is the safer course (Stratfor's Global Intelligence Update, Weekly Analysis, July 19, 1999).