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November 21, 2008

Scowcroft was advising Obama, too -- not just Brzezinski

Ed Lasky
That fact was kept under wraps..until after the election. Scowcroft, along with Zbigniew Brzezinski (who also advised Barack Obama on foreign policy issues) have a long problematic record toward Israel and the American-Israel relationship. When problems arose during the campaign, Obama's campaign responded that Brzezinski did not advise Obama on Middle East issues involving Israel.

Now that Barack Obama won the election, the first op-ed in the the politically influential Washington Post written by Brzezinski and Scowcroft, involves one nation-Israel. How likely is it that when Scowcroft and Brzezinski advised Barack Obama they stayed silent on an issue that they believe is a crucial foreign policy issue?

Their op-ed is rife with problems. A couple of quotes with my responses:

In perhaps no other region was the election of Obama more favorably received than the Middle East

(except for Israel where the population is warier-or do these two FP experts not consider Israel part of the Middle East?; also there has been much criticism of Barack Obama already in the Middle East).

Resolution of the Palestinian issue would have a positive impact on the region. It would liberate Arab governments to support U.S. leadership in dealing with regional problems, as they did before the Iraq invasion

(Arab governments were not all that cooperative before the invasion of Iraq; to the extent they do so now, it is a reaction to the Iranian threat and would likely happen regardless of the Palestinian issue).

It would dissipate much of the appeal of Hezbollah and Hamas, dependent as it is on the Palestinians' plight

(Hezbollah grew in reaction to perceived injustices in Lebanon against the Shiites; Hamas grew in opposition to corruption in the Palestinian Authority; the appeal of these two groups derive, to a great extent, from those dynamics; also, both Hezbollah and Hamas call for the destruction of Israel).

A key element in any new initiative would be for the U.S. president to declare publicly what, in the view of this country, the basic parameters of a fair and enduring peace ought to be. These should contain four principal elements: 1967 borders,

(so called Auschwitz borders)

with minor, reciprocal and agreed-upon modifications; compensation in lieu of the right of return for Palestinian refugees; Jerusalem as real home to two capitals; and a nonmilitarized Palestinian state.

(nonmilitarized-how likely would this be enforced?

Something more might be needed to deal with Israeli security concerns about turning over territory to a Palestinian government incapable of securing Israel against terrorist activity. That could be dealt with by deploying an international peacekeeping force, such as one from NATO, which could not only replace Israeli security but train Palestinian troops to become effective.

(another international force, UNIFIL,  has operated so well in Lebanon and UNIFIL includes troops from NATO countries; if the Palestinian state is nonmilitarized why would NATO train and equip a future Palestinian army?)

Posted at 01:06 PM | Email | |

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