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Archive for the 'Foreign Policy' Category

THE RIVALS COHERE INTO A TEAM

January 13th, 2009, 12:00 pm by Dan Lehr

“The President-Elect and I believe that foreign policy must be based on a marriage of principles and pragmatism, not rigid ideology. On facts and evidence, not emotion or prejudice. Our security, our vitality, and our ability to lead in today’s world oblige us to recognize the overwhelming fact of our interdependence.” - Hillary Clinton, testifying before Congress today.

That was, of course, well-received, but there were signs today the ride might be a bit bumpier than she’d like.

To which I say: good.

Marc Ambinder has her full opening statement & more analysis.

IT AIN’T OVER

January 9th, 2009, 10:31 am by Dan Lehr

Hey, remember the Iraq war? Sure you do!

Good thing it’s about wrapped up, right? You can go on & pay attention to other things, right?

Wrong.

Thomas Ricks, author of one of the best books on the beginnings of the Iraq fiasco, has two predictions about the immediate future of the conflict that in my view are dead-on, & they’re not what Obama or his legions of fans likely want to hear:

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DIFFERING VIEWS ON ISRAEL’S GAZA WAR

January 8th, 2009, 10:25 am by Dan Lehr
Uriel Sinai/Getty
Photo: Uriel Sinai/Getty

5 different takes on what’s going on, after the jump.

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HOW TO WIN IN AFGHANISTAN

January 7th, 2009, 1:09 pm by Dan Lehr

Just like (yet, by definition, not at all like) in Iraq, the key is counterinsurgency.

An absolutely essential read over at Foreign Policy shows how General David Petraeus’ counterinsurgency strategy can lead to victory, including these so-called “paradoxes:”

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A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

January 5th, 2009, 4:40 pm by Dan Lehr

“How did we transform from champions of human dignity and individual rights into a nation of armchair torturers? One word: fear.

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HOW NOT TO BECOME WHAT YOU HATE

January 5th, 2009, 12:58 pm by Dan Lehr

(I don’t know whom to credit for this heart-rending picture - it wasn’t credited where I found it. I also don’t know if this is an Israeli or a Palestinian. But in terms of what this post is about, it won’t - & shouldn’t - matter)

One of the best bloggers in the business, Glenn Greenwald, warns us all against the dangers of one way to take sides in the Gaza conflict:

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UNDERSTANDING GAZA (2)

December 30th, 2008, 8:58 am by Dan Lehr

Longtime Vote08 commenter Chuck Waller responds to yesterday’s post on the Gaza situation:

“Where was the rage ten days ago when Hamas rockets were killing Israeli  women and children?  The Israeli government kept asking, begging, and finally telling Hamas to stop or else.  They didn’t and now they are getting what they asked for.  Yes, they actually wanted this.  They can’t beat Israel, so they want the world to condemn Israel and come to the aid of the Arab terrorists.  This is exactly what was prophesied in the Bible, but, that’s not going to pull Israel down.  At this point, it would be good for all Americans to read the Old Testament book of Zechariah.  No one has seen rage yet.  That’s coming soon.  Thank you.  By the way, I’m a Christian, not a Jew.”

As always, thanks for your input, Chuck!

So let’s talk a little Zechariah, shall we?

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UNDERSTANDING GAZA

December 29th, 2008, 12:45 pm by Dan Lehr

From a comprehensive & even-handed guest-post at the Washington Note by Daniel Levy, on why you should be paying attention to what’s happening in the Middle East this week:

“Bottom line - Arabs and Jews are killing each other - so what’s new?

And why on earth would America want to be involved?

Here’s the bad news folks - America is involved, up to its eyeballs actually. Today, after Israeli air-strikes that killed over 200 Palestinians in Gaza, the Middle East is again seething with rage.

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WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD, OR RATHER WHERE THE WAGON-WHEEL HITS THE CRAGGY PATH

December 15th, 2008, 10:02 am by Dan Lehr

The enormous challenges remain in Afghanistan; read more about it here, here, & here.

(note: it’s another one of those days, so posts here will be brief)

HOORAY FOR A RETURN TO EMPATHY

December 10th, 2008, 9:28 am by Dan Lehr

I agree with Ben Katcher

“Empathy might seem like a foreign concept to policy practitioners used to thinking in terms of the harsh realities of an anarchic international system characterized by realpolitick, the pursuit of self-interest, and ruthless competition. However, the importance of empathy, properly understood as “the capacity to recognize or understand another’s state of mind or emotion,” flows logically from the centrality of self-interest to power politics.

Executing an empathetic foreign policy means both appreciating other countries’ perspectives and understanding how our words and deeds affect their behaviors. In other words, empathy must be part of both our foreign policy development and our approach.

The Bush administration’s greatest failure to empathize in the Turkish context was its inability to appreciate that even a successful overthrow of the Baathist regime in Iraq was likely to result in greater autonomy for Iraqi Kurds and instability along Turkey’s southeastern border. It was this fact, rather than anti-Americanism or weak knees, that was the decisive factor in the Turkish parliament’s decision on March 1, 2003 to prohibit U.S. forces from using its territory to open a northern front against Saddam.”

..& am encouraged by this:

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A CASE STUDY IN KNOWING THE RIGHT MOMENT

December 7th, 2008, 1:00 am by Dan Lehr

YouTube Preview Image

Above: listen to FDR’s speech following the attack on Pearl Harbor, 67 years ago today.

Beth Dempsey of the Schlager Group outlines 5 things you may not realize about this momentous speech:

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HOW ‘COMMUNITY ORGANIZING’ LEADS TO VICTORY AGAINST TERRORISM

December 2nd, 2008, 8:19 am by Dan Lehr

This is part of why I was so perplexed when Sarah Palin mocked ‘community organizing’ in her convention speech last September; does she not realize how it’s leading us down the path to victory around the world?

David Brooks elaborates:

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FIGURING OUT WHAT MUMBAI MEANS

December 1st, 2008, 10:29 am by Dan Lehr

If you’re not paying attention to what’s been going on in India the past week, you should.

This post is an attempt for you to get your feet wet to become a more engaged global citizen.

Let’s start with a quote from Pakistan’s U.S. ambassador, Husain Haqqani, who sounded what I think is the right strategic tone to take yesterday on This Week with George Stephanopoulos:

“The point we must remember is that we should not see this heinous act in the context of India-Pakistan relations. We should see it in the context of international terrorism. There are terrorists that have trained in all countries of the world, secretly. These are non- state actors.

I don’t think that this is the time for India or anybody in India to accuse Pakistan. It’s time to work with Pakistan.

Pakistan is now a democracy. India is a democracy. And as two democracies, we need to strengthen each other, rather than fall into the trap of the terrorists, who want us to fight with each other so that they can get greater strength.”

Walid Phares of the Counterterrorism Blog elaborates:

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STICKING AROUND

November 26th, 2008, 8:04 am by Dan Lehr

From the Washington Post:

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is close to finalizing an agreement to remain at the Pentagon for at least the first year of Barack Obama’s presidency, providing the new commander in chief with a Republican in his Cabinet and continuity for a military waging two wars, according to Democrats familiar with the negotiations.

Some sources described a “rolling transition,” in which Gates would stay on during a phased changeover of key political appointees at the Pentagon. Others said he could stay in the job indefinitely. Under both scenarios, most of the deputies serving under him would be replaced, the sources said.”

We talked about this last week; click here to read reasons why this is a good move.

UPDATE: Steve Clemons of the Washington Note has a hunch as to Gates’ motives:

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TRUTH BE TOLD, I’M NEVER ABSOLUTELY SURE ABOUT ANYTHING

November 25th, 2008, 4:19 pm by Dan Lehr

Yesterday I agreed with Shadi Hamid, who celebrated the end of the old “left-right/war-peace” dichotomies.

How pragmatism is forcing ideology to take a back seat.

Now Glenn Greenwald has me scratching my head again:

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