DUBAI/TOKYO -- On Sept. 13, 1993, Israeli and Palestinian leaders shook hands on the White House lawn to seal the Oslo Accords. The late Israeli statesman Shimon Peres, one of the architects of the arrangement, trumpeted the coming of a "new Middle East" that would bring peace and prosperity.
Twenty-seven years and several bloody conflicts later, most consider the Oslo process a failure. But now the stage is set for another signing ceremony in Washington on Tuesday -- this time between Israel and the United Arab Emirates -- that is generating similar optimism as a transformative moment for the region.