You would think that, after almost seven years in the White House for President Obama, and over 30 years as either a senator or secretary of state for John Kerry, they would have some idea on how to conduct a foreign policy. However, it doesn’t seem to be true. This is from Monday’s Wall Street Journal:
“Secretary of State John Kerry and his European allies, in their renewed drive to promote stability in the Middle East, are increasingly reliant on the two countries the U.S. has historically argued only undermine stability – Russia and Iran. …
But the West is taking risks by including the Russians and Iranians in diplomacy, said Emile Hokayem, a regional analyst at London’s International Institute for Strategic Studies, expressing a view that is shared by many Arab officials. …
‘What happens in Syria will be key to the new Middle Eastern order,’ said Mr. Hokayem. ‘The immediate benefit may seem worth it. But over time, the U.S. will find it more difficult to rally its partners and convey determination on other regional security issues. The long-term costs of what are tactical arrangements with Moscow and Tehran will be high.’ …
In a sign of the diplomatic shift under way, Jordan, one of the staunchest U.S. allies in the Arab world, announced on Friday it was establishing an office in Amman to jointly coordinate military operations with Russia in Iraq and Syria.”
What is our response to all of this? Here is what Secretary Kerry said last week:
“‘It is clear that Russia and Iran are supportive of Assad ... [while] a whole bunch of countries ... understand that Assad creates an impossible dynamic for peace. But if we can get into a political process, sometimes these things have a way of resolving themselves.’”
Oh my gosh. It is hard to believe the naiveté of that comment. If you don’t know what you want and how you are going to get it before you enter into talks with Russia and Iran, or other countries in the Middle East, I can assure you that you will wind up getting exactly what you wanted when you started: nothing.
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PS These people would wind up paying above the first asking price for a rug in a Turkish bazaar.
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