July 22, 2007You Voted Wrong, See?Basic common sense from Colin Powell here, and well worth reading additional background from Alastair Crooke here. Of course, such advice will fall on deaf ears among the mediocrities 'policy-making' in Washington. It's almost like we'd like to see al-Qaeda take root in Gaza, or such... UPDATE: Related fare.... "(W)hat would Chris Hill do"? Posted by Gregory at July 22, 2007 03:10 PMComments
While Powell's hand's may not have been soiled when it comes to the aftermath of Hamas in Gaza, the simple fact that Powell acquesced to the "non-inteference" policy toward Israel in its conflict with Palestinians means that his hands are dirty nontheless. The problem is that there is nothing that suggests that, had Powell remained Sec. of State, that he would have done anything but acquiesce to the anti-Hamas policy, just as he acquiesced to just about every other policy that he now tells us he disagreed with. Lots of people have been saying what Powell is now saying --- and I don't see any reason to praise him for simply "making sense" when he does so only after leaving office. Talk is cheap. Posted by: p_lukasiak at July 22, 2007 04:14 PM | Permalink to this comment"Basic" common sense from Powell would have been to address the Israeli settlement question, not whether to "engage" (whatever that means) with Hamas. There are real limits to which the United States can pick winners and losers in Arab factional politics, something Crooke's book reviews underline. No matter what it does, it will always have some of the local Arabs for it, some against it, and some others looking on with suspicion. But one thing Palestinians all share is an intense dislike for continued expansion of Israeli settlements on the West Bank, and these settlements don't serve any American interest either. Even most Israelis don't approve of them, though the defective structure of Israel's parliamentary system has given those who care primarily about expanding settlements the whip hand in determining government policy in this area. The reasons the Bush administration has turned a blind eye to this issue are too well known to be recited here. I understand why it has (though all previous American administrations at least disapproved publicly of settlement expansion, backing down in the face of pro-Israel sentiment in Congress), even if I think its attitude not only wrong but undignified -- American foreign policy should not be made by a minority of the Knesset. What I understand much less well is why a retired official like Colin Powell, who has nothing to lose by straying from the foreign policy establishment herd occasionally, never has on this point. Talk to Hamas whether they renounce terrorism or not and whether they recognize Israel's right to exist or not -- all your mainstream foreign policy types can bat that question back and forth for months and work themselves up into a real lather. But it isn't the essential issue. The settlements are. Maybe Powell just doesn't see this. No one's every accused him of being an original thinker, which is probably why Greg holds him in such high regard. But this insight is not particulary original, it just isn't where all the people Powell knows are at the moment. Maybe he's waiting for decisive, overwhelming force to arrive on the scene before committing himself. Posted by: Zathras at July 22, 2007 09:33 PM | Permalink to this commentPowell gets a lot of flak for his falling for the same bullshit many of us did prior to getting the facts that are 'uncooked". But one thing he can still be criticized for is his inherent fear If he really wants to recoup his dignity he should come clean Semantic: Powell, unlike the rest of us, was in a position to "know better" about Iraq. Indeed, he now tells us that he did know better. But what did he do? He goes before the UN and seels the world and the US a shoddy bill of goods about WMDs. When the honrable thing would have been to resign as a protest against the policy. I really do not care to hear from Colin Powell. His insights are pablum and his past is compromised. And by telling the Euros what they wanted to hear, and by self-isolating himself in the Administration, he turned out to be one awful Secretary of State. Condi isn't impressive, but at least when somebody talks to her, they do have the confidence that comes from talking to someone with the President's ear. Posted by: Appalled Moderate at July 23, 2007 01:28 PM | Permalink to this commentzathras AM; I don't think the country can afford to dismiss any and all who finally Greg- Two things: 1) is Chris Hill the greatest foreign diplomat since Lafayette? (and 2) did I see a Djerejian listed (as a contributer) on the ISG report? I read it belatedly. Not exactly Smith or Brown, if ya' get my drift....) As to the former, Hill's achievement hasn't gotten near the media coverage it's due. Not long ago, one of the more celebrated whines re Iraq was that Jong-il was the one WITH the WMD, and that he was the tiger to be tamed. In short, we were in the right church, wrong pew. That, followed by tirade ad nauseam that Bush's character assassination of him-axis of evil-would forever leave the DPRK more intransigent than a smitten mother-in-law. Enter Chris the Magnifico. Or in the immortal words, sort of, of Butch and Sundance, " who is this guy?" Barely a full-moon elapses, and he's managed to charm and disarm the 21st century's antichrist. No nukes, no mas. Chris Hill, in short, has caught the devil by his tail. Let's hope we can keep him confined. Posted by: reshufflex at July 24, 2007 03:13 AM | Permalink to this commentSemantic: Actually, for any good to be done, the folks who need to come to Jesus are enough GOP senators to dodge a filibuster or a veto. And, like the Pharoh, even after plagues of locusts, they waiver for a little while, but harden their hearts at the exact point a decision get made. The campaign, at this point, needs to be on the GOP senators who are up for reeelection. I'll see what I can do on Saxby Chambliss (my Senator.) What are you going to do? Posted by: Appalled Moderate at July 24, 2007 12:18 PM | Permalink to this commentAM; I've been calling Boxer to suggest they look at the debt ceiling as a means to defund. But I think the capper is when public opinion rises to a majority for impeachment, then the 60-vote threshold is a done deal. Posted by: Semanticleo at July 24, 2007 04:22 PM | Permalink to this commentZ--But I guess it's a stunningly original insight that settlements are the only issue, and that other final status issues like jerusalem, borders, '48 refugees/right of return don't matter at all, eh, including testing the political wing of Hamas' views thereto through exploratory quartet outreach? But sorry, i'll exit comments now to join other "mainstream foreign policy types", the better to get into a good 'lather' on today's topic: "Hamas: To Talk, or Not to Talk." Posted by: greg djerejian at July 25, 2007 08:09 PM | Permalink to this comment |
Reviews of Belgravia Dispatch
"Awake"
--New York Times
Recent Entries
McCain: Let's Compound the Blunder!
Georgia On My Mind Should We De-Emphasize The Terror Threat in U.S. Foreign Policy? (Very Belated) In-House News Straits of Hormuz Quotable More Predictions Predictions, Predictions! A 'Sick Man of Europe' Reprise? Addingtonism (Belatedly) Ripe For A Comeuppance?
Search
English Language Media
New York Times
Financial Times The Economist The Times The Spectator Daily Telegraph The New Yorker Washington Post New Criterion New Republic National Review The Atlantic The American Conservative Harpers The Week The Guardian Weekly Standard The Nation WSJ Opinion Matt Drudge Real Clear Politics
Foreign Affairs Commentariat
Non-English Language Press
The Blogs
Across the Aisle
Marc Ambinder America Abroad American Footprints The American Scene Armavirumque Bainbridge Jack Balkin Becker-Posner Balloon Juice &C (TNR) Phil Carter Chequer-Board Steve Clemons Juan Cole The Corner Crooked Timber Cunning Realist Clive Davis Brad DeLong Democracy Arsensal Ross Douthat Daniel Drezner Kevin Drum James Fallows Glenn Greenwald Nikolas Gvosdev Hendrik Hertzberg Huffington Post Innocents Abroad Mickey Kaus Mark Kleiman Joshua Landis Daniel Larison Josh Marshall Eric Martin Obsidian Wings Oxblog Foreign Policy's Passport The Plank Post Global Gideon Rachman Red State Romenesko Laura Rozen Andrew Sullivan James Taranto Katrina vanden Heuvel Volokh Conspiracy James Wolcott Matthew Yglesias
Law & Finance
Barron's
Bloomberg Bruce MacEwen Bull and Bear Wise CBS Marketwatch Contrary Investor Corporate Counsel Blog Corp Law Blog D.C. Toedt DealBreaker Deal Lawyers Blog Financial Sense Forbes Fortune Hussman Funds Gretchen Morgenson Floyd Norris Safe Haven SCOTUS Blog The Street 10b-5 Daily Yahoo Finance
Think Tanks
Security
Books
The City
Curbed
Gawker Lockhart Steele NY Magazine Nick Denton NY Post NY Press New York Observer On The Inside Tribeca Trib Walk Through Village Voice
Archives
August 2008
July 2008 May 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003
|
|||