A standard Middle Eastern bargaining tactic is to negotiate furiously, verbally agree to something and then renege at the last minute in the hope of a better deal. The notion of "my word is my bond" is an Anglo-Saxon concept and inoperative in the Middle East. Agreement occurs only when both sides are satisifed that they've got the best deal possible or one guy has a gun to the other guy's head. I found those negotiations that the U.S. moderated between Israel and Yasser Arafat to be quaintly naive. Israel's decision to build a fence around the Palestinians is correct given the culture of the Palestinians. The Iraqis will agree to a constitution after the Shiites think they've got the best deal that they can get. Then one of the different sides will jettison the constitution the moment they think it is in their own best interests. There are good reasons why the Middle East is as screwed up as it is.

Gary