The Bush administration has engaged in a flurry of Middle East diplomacy recently.

Over the past few weeks, U.S. government officials have been involved in diplomatic meetings with many Middle East leaders. "Diplomacy" means careful talks or negotiations involving international issues and relations between countries. On the left you see President Bush meeting with Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister of IraqThe two were scheduled to have a long meeting in the city of Amman, Jordan, along with that country's king. Can you find Jordan on a map or globe? Al-Maliki cancelled the meeting after the leak of a private White House memo that was critical of al-Maliki's leadership skills. A shorter meeting was held later, where the two discussed ways to speed up the process of turning over more power to the Iraqi government. This includes the U.S. military's program to train Iraqi police. Why do you think this is important?

The vice president went to Saudi Arabia to meet with that country's King Abdullah. The talks focused on problems all over the Middle East, and ways the U.S. could cooperate with Saudi Arabia. Some sources said that Cheney asked King Abdullah to use his influence to help end the Sunni-Shiite fighting in Iraq. Jordan and Saudi Arabia are both Middle Eastern countries that are friendly with the United States. Do you think these countries can help end the violence in Iraq? Why or why not? How do you think international diplomacy can help the situation in Iraq?