Arafat vowed to crack down on terrorists, but instead set up revolving door prisons. He promised to prepare his people for peace. Instead he preached violence, praised suicide bombers, and, through the Palestinian school system, taught children to hate Israelis.
His greatest failure may come after his death. While making himself a virtual dictator, Arafat has failed to set up a line of succession, which is critical in any governmental structure.
Think about it this way: When President Bush choked on a pretzel in 2002, the world knew about it within hours. That incident eventually became fodder for journalists including Dana Milbank, who tucked it into a May 22 story about the president?s supposed athletic mishap.
But, had Bush died, we all know that Dick Cheney would have taken over as president. In our system, the lines of authority and power are clear. Not so in the Palestinian Authority.
After Arafat dies, members of his Fatah group are likely to square off with the terrorist group HAMAS. That violence would be another part of Arafat?s bloody legacy.
Dennis Ross, who was President Clinton?s main negotiator for the Middle East, says there will have to be elections to pick a successor. But Palestinians haven?t voted for a leader since 1996, when Arafat stage-managed his own election.
Sadly, despite the billions of dollars the world community has poured into the Palestinian territories since Oslo, democracy there has been ?one and done.? Once elected, Arafat essentially made himself president for life. Arafat, not wanting a rival, has failed to prepare for an orderly transition.
The world probably will never locate some tens of millions of dollars given to the Palestinian Authority. It has disappeared into Arafat?s personal accounts. Indeed, whenever he leaves the earth, Yasser Arafat?s legacy seems secure: Terrorist, murderer, swindler, dictator.
If you hear leaders of the ?international community? singing his praises in days or weeks to come, remember this: He?s fooled ?em one final time.