The university’s position is clear. They will work with any investors who are interested, including Saudi investors, or other Arab investors. It is very important that this project be about the possibility of peace, and not just about making money, even though profitability would ensure continued success. Therefore, Arab investment is very imortant because it sends the right symbolic message.

Any contacts that you or your friends could give me in this regard would be greatly appreciated. On my part, I promise to do anything I can to ensure the viability of the project, and to make sure that the project becomes a catalyst for something much bigger. We can start small, but if we capture the world’s imagination, who knows where we’ll end up.

In terms of the 200 Palestinian workers, I am pretty open. I would like them to be relatively young, and open to the possibility of a brighter future. I would not expect them to love Israel, but I want them to entertain the possibility that perhaps a deal could be cut. There would not be an ideological test, but obviously we would not want to hire people who are inclined toward violence. I would not even exclude Hamas members, or their children, as long as they are willing to give this project a chance, and are open to see where such a venture may eventually lead.

My belief is that such a project could one day speak for itself, and that if it is successful, it could inspire others to act similarly, and after a while, there would be enough people invested in the idea that a new reality will begin to emerge. We need more action and less talk.

In terms of Palestinian movement, we would obviously need the cooperation of Israel, so that the workers and managers could get to the job. But as I said before, and as I have to prove to you, Israel will react positively if it senses even a hint that things could be moving in the right direction. Israelis are hardwired for peace, but right now they can only see the need for security. However, they are supporting the construction of 4 industiral zones in the West Bank as we speak.

I am making some progress in putting the “ingredients” together. Believe it or not, I have access to a university with a department of nanotechnology, with some green technology products already on board. They said they would work with any investors I produce, including Saudi investors. If I can find such investors, including Saudis, Israelis, and Palestinians, then I may be able to make something happen. So keep your eyes and ears open, Tamara, and Elinor, and if you or your friends come across such people then please let me know, and I will do my best to Sell them on a Vision of Hope.

But I do take my “peace pie” seriously. In fact, I’m trying to put a project like that together, as we speak. And if it works out, I’m even willing to move over there to make sure that the project goes well. My wife said she would join.

You make a good point about all the problems that need fixing over there. And you’re right to say that I am not Palestinian, and that it is difficult to look at things from their vantage point. And even they themselves are divided about how to proceed.

However, my guess is that if all we do is think about all these varied problems out there, we’re not going to get anywhere. We have to start taking action, and the action has to lead in some logical way to a resolution of most of the problems.

That’s where the “peace pie” comes into the picture. It is not just a factory. It is a symbol that resonates with hope, and with hope all things are possible, even the impossible dream of peace. This is not rocket science. If Palestinians have good paying jobs, and have hope for their future, then they will be less receptive to extremist influence. If they have a place at the table, a stake in their future, then they will think twice about letting the extremists take that away.

And they are in a better position to keep the extremists in check. When we fight the extremists we make martyrs out of them. And martyrdom sells big over there. When their own people resist them, then it’s a whole different story.

So the game plan is not all that complicated. Create projects: which the West can do, which create good paying jobs, which produce products that protect the environment, which give the Middle East a better image of itself, which help to neutralize extremism, which condition people for the possibilty of peace, and which pave the road for the long hard struggle to broker a fair peace.

The plan in and of itself is not completely a bad idea, and may in fact, at some point in the future may work. But unless we can deal with the issues of movement of the Palestinians, electricity, food and water supplies, the constant stealing of land to build more settlements and the continual invasion/attack of the territories there is no hope in such a plan being fruitful.

I feel that it is difficult for you to see this situation from the point of the Palestinians. I do not doubt you want peace, but you are looking at it from a coporate perspective and are not considering the extremely delicate and even volatile nature of the people and their lives.

Well, capitalism may be a lot of things, but it is not “airy,fairy.” It is real. And that is why the entire world is moving in that direction. Capitalism is a powerful force because it is feuled by the greed that is intrinsic to human nature.

Tamara, what if we could tap into that greed for the greater good?

I agree with you that there are severe food shortages as we speak. So in today’s system, the poor depend on charity. But the wealthy are not always as charitable as they should be. President Bush is sending 250 million dollars of emergency food aid, but that is a drop in the bucket.

In fact, Tamara, the West is currently only investing .2 of one percent of its income in helping the developing world. According to the millenium goals of the U.N., if this number were increased to .7 of one percent, we would virtually eliminate hunger and disease around the world.

So here’s the thing. What if we could somehow use human greed to generate the profits that would help the poor, and that would clean up the environment and that would help to moderate extremist thinking. This is not just a pipe dream, even though most people I talk to think that I must be smoking something.

As Omid rightly suggested, the greatest evils we currently face are inter-connected. Ideological extremism, povery, and the threat to the environment are related aspects of the human condition. Therefore, it makes sense that if these poblems are connected, that a common solution would probably be the best way to go.

And therefore, Jina, solving one problem at a time is probably not the answer. By coming up with a common answer, we could create the necessary momentum, and efficiencies, to take care of most of our problems in one shot, while making money at the same time, money which will sustain the impetus toward change.

Like Bob Dylan used to say: “The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind. The answer is blowing in the wind.” And the answer is not all that complicated. Invest in projects which create jobs, which clean up the environement, and which marginalize the extremists. There are a confluence of factors emerging, as we speak, which point to such an approach: high oil prices, global interest in green technology, ideological extremism which runs rampant, global competition for new markets, and a widening gap between the haves and the have-nots.

Put it all together, and the “peace pie” may not be such a bad idea. Let’s put it this way: can you think of a pie that would taste even better?