Epsteinbd, regarding US policy in the mideast, I do hope that they succeed and that Israel and Palestine can live in peace. I do agree with Bush's strategy, which is have Arafat go and have Israel pull back and grant Palestine statehood provided the Arab world recognizes Israel's existence. However, I am not so sure about Bush's sabre rattling on Iraq. His intelligence apparatus probably knows something that we do not know yet. But if he does not disclose that and continues to sabre rattle, then I am sure his popularity will dip to levels that would be a cause for concern for him in 2004. Here is a relevant excerpt:
.......The United States faces two possibilities during the next 10 years: It can follow the hawks’ path, with negative consequences for all but especially for itself. Or it can realize that the negatives are too great. Simon Tisdall of the Guardian recently argued that even disregarding international public opinion, “the U.S. is not able to fight a successful Iraqi war by itself without incurring immense damage, not least in terms of its economic interests and its energy supply. Mr. Bush is reduced to talking tough and looking ineffectual.” And if the United States still invades Iraq and is then forced to withdraw, it will look even more ineffectual.
President Bush’s options appear extremely limited, and there is little doubt that the United States will continue to decline as a decisive force in world affairs over the next decade. The real question is not whether U.S. hegemony is waning but whether the United States can devise a way to descend gracefully, with minimum damage to the world, and to itself.
You may read the entire article at:
foreignpolicy.com |
