The Belgravia Dispatch: Policy-Making as Travesty

October 09, 2007

Policy-Making as Travesty

Go read this excellent FT reporting from Iran. Then try to chronicle in your own mind all the errors our Washington grandees are making in executing a coherent Iran policy. Frankly, given all the woefully basic foreign policy execution blunders these past years, I'm surprised more FSOs haven't resigned in protest. Certainly this seemingly endless parade of group-think and amateurism--not to mention the attendant costs to the U.S. national interest--now well rival Warren Christopher's gross inattentions to the horrors of Bosnia (the last time a large group of FSOs resigned in protest). Perhaps people's standards have lowered...

Posted by Gregory at October 9, 2007 12:21 AM

Comments

The war between the Administration and State goes back to at least the first Bush, doesn't it? So, perhaps by now, people at State are resigned to a somewhat insignificant role?

Posted by: Zhulid Gayek at October 9, 2007 03:26 AM | Permalink to this comment

FSO's don't generally resign in droves because of stupid foreign policies -- they resign when our policies wind up with lots and lots of people dead. Since our Iran policy has been visibly brain-dead since "Axis of Evil", anyone inclined to resign over the stupidity of that policy is already long gone.

Plus people can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and the careerists will find a great deal of satisfaction watching the purging of the 'loyal Bushies' from State. Indeed, one of the problems that Bush faces is that there is no future in sycophancy toward Bush -- the future belongs to those who help to contain/prevent the potential damage that Bush can wreck on US foreign policy.

Posted by: p_lukasiak at October 9, 2007 08:21 AM | Permalink to this comment

	« The Northern Front (Cont'd) \| Main \| The Forgotten, Forgotten War » October 09, 2007 Policy-Making as Travesty Go read this excellent FT reporting from Iran. Then try to chronicle in your own mind all the errors our Washington grandees are making in executing a coherent Iran policy. Frankly, given all the woefully basic foreign policy execution blunders these past years, I'm surprised more FSOs haven't resigned in protest. Certainly this seemingly endless parade of group-think and amateurism--not to mention the attendant costs to the U.S. national interest--now well rival Warren Christopher's gross inattentions to the horrors of Bosnia (the last time a large group of FSOs resigned in protest). Perhaps people's standards have lowered... Posted by Gregory at October 9, 2007 12:21 AM Comments The war between the Administration and State goes back to at least the first Bush, doesn't it? So, perhaps by now, people at State are resigned to a somewhat insignificant role? Posted by: Zhulid Gayek at October 9, 2007 03:26 AM \| Permalink to this comment FSO's don't generally resign in droves because of stupid foreign policies -- they resign when our policies wind up with lots and lots of people dead. Since our Iran policy has been visibly brain-dead since "Axis of Evil", anyone inclined to resign over the stupidity of that policy is already long gone. Plus people can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and the careerists will find a great deal of satisfaction watching the purging of the 'loyal Bushies' from State. Indeed, one of the problems that Bush faces is that there is no future in sycophancy toward Bush -- the future belongs to those who help to contain/prevent the potential damage that Bush can wreck on US foreign policy. Posted by: p_lukasiak at October 9, 2007 08:21 AM \| Permalink to this comment		About Belgravia Dispatch Gregory Djerejian, an international lawyer and business executive, comments intermittently on global politics, finance & diplomacy at this site. The views expressed herein are solely his own and do not represent those of any organization. More About the Author Email the Author Recent Entries Lunch w/ the FT... Robert Strange McNamara Biden on Israel/Iran Mea Culpa (Part II) Something of A Mea Culpa Search Search this site: The News Financial Times New York Times Wall Street Journal 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 Real Clear Politics Le Figaro Le Monde El Pais Pravda The Blogs Across the Aisle Marc Ambinder American Footprints The American Scene Bainbridge Jack Balkin Becker-Posner Balloon Juice Steve Clemons Juan Cole The Corner Crooked Timber Cunning Realist Democracy Arsensal Daniel Drezner Washington Monthly James Fallows Glenn Greenwald Nikolas Gvosdev Huffington Post Mark Kleiman Joshua Landis Daniel Larison Marc Lynch Josh Marshall Progressive Realist Obsidian Wings George Packer Gideon Rachman Andrew Sullivan Katrina vanden Heuvel Volokh Conspiracy Steve Walt James Wolcott Matthew Yglesias Foreign Affairs Commentariat Foreign Affairs Foreign Policy Le Monde Diplomatique National Interest Law & Finance Barron's Bloomberg Bull and Bear Wise Calculated Risk Marketwatch Contrary Investor Corporate Counsel Blog DealBreaker Deal Lawyers Blog Financial Sense Forbes Fortune Hussman Funds Bruce MacEwen Barry Ritholz Nouriel Roubini Safe Haven SCOTUS Blog Seeking Alpha The Street 10b-5 Daily Yahoo Finance Think Tanks AEI Baker Institute Brookings Carnegie Cato CFR CSIS Heritage IISS Intl Crisis Group USIP Security Janes Fed. American Scientists Defense Tech Global Security Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Books American Scholar LRB NYRB NYT Book Review Paris Review TLS Granta Grand Street Arts & Letters Daily TNR's The Book The City Curbed Eater Gothamist NY Magazine NY Post NY Press New York Observer Tribeca Trib Vanishing NY Village Voice Epicurean Corner Wine Terroirs The Burgundy Report Richard Kelley Andrew Jefford Archives Browse Archives Syndicate this site: Belgravia Dispatch Maintained by: www.vikeny.com Powered by

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