At Exxon Mobil, Tillerson has lobbied to lift sanctions that the U.S. imposed on Russia for its occupation of Crimea and its military intervention in Ukraine.
But, they say, for Arab leaders to work alongside Israel on this, even quietly, requires demonstrable Israeli movement on ending its occupation of the West Bank by freezing or reducing settlements and handing over more power to the Palestinians.
However, others argue that the economic effect of a closed land border with Turkey is the only incentive for Armenia to engage in a meaningful dialogue with Azerbaijan on lifting its occupation.
The British case, in recent times, has focused on its peaceful occupation of the islands for the last 177 years and the self-determination of the Falkland islanders.
Yet its greatest impact may not be on Israel or its occupation of Palestinian territory.
Two days after Pakistan used the United Nations summit meeting to deliver a blistering attack on India over its occupation of Kashmir, India's prime minister counterattacked today without mentioning the name of his country's bitter enemy.
This Monday the US Obama administration's most senior official called on Israel to end its occupation of the territories.
He was wise to return to the basic concept of land for peace, calling on Israel to end its occupation in line with the principles embodied in UN Security Council resolutions.
His subsequent novels include The Glass Palace (2000), a familial history centred on Burma (Myanmar) between its occupation by the British in 1885 through its independence after World War II and into the late 20th century, and The Hungry Tide (2004), set in Bengal and featuring American and Indian characters.
By linking 9/11 to all that has followed, Mr. Bush runs the risk of mixing those memories with questions of why he had a hard time holding on to the sympathy of allies, or whether he rushed into Iraq before a workable plan was in place on how to handle its occupation.
