Lieberman’s Right, Hagel’s Wrong: Iran And Syria Will Not Help Us In Iraq
Tell me who sounds more realistic here:
LIEBERMAN: I believe that America is a mighty enough nation that we should never fear to talk to anyone. But anyone who believes that Iran and Syria really want to help us to succeed in Iraq, I just is missing the reality. Asking Iran and Syria to help us succeed in Iraq is like your local fire department asking a couple of arsonists to help put out the fire. These people are flaming the fire. They are the extremists. They are supporting terrorists in Iraq, in Lebanon and of course in the Palestinian areas.
SCHIEFFER: Senator Hagel is shaking his head.
HAGEL: That’s not the point. Of course the Iranians and Syrians are not going to come to our assistance. Of course not. But they are going to respond in their own self-interest. All nations respond in their own self-interests. Tallyrand once said that nations don’t have friends. They have interests. He was right. It’s not in the interest of Syria or Jordan or Iran to have a failed state that would be a complete mess for the middle east.
Why did the Iranians help us in Afghanistan? Why did they cooperate with us in Afghanistan on intelligence matters and other issues? Because they didn’t want a failed state next to them which comes with all the problems. They didn’t want heroin moving into their borders. What we’re not getting here, is we’re not getting a full and comprehensive wide-lens appreciation of interests.
Baloney; it is clearly in Iran and Syria’s interest to diminish U.S. influence in the region, so Hagel’s argument doesn’t fly. We keep hearing that Iran and Syria don’t want a failed state on their borders. Pure, unadulterated crap; they WANT failed states on their borders, because it gives them a chance to extend their influence. Witness the unending Syrian attempts to interfere with Lebanon, and the constant fanning of the flames to prevent the formation of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.
No, no, no…Lieberman is right on the money. You don’t ask the fox the look after the hen house…
Hagel sounds more realistic. Syria and Iran may want influence, but they don’t want chaos. Civil wars have a way of spreading to their neighboring states, so the last thing they want is a failed state in Iraq: then they’re in trouble.
Charlie, I understand Hagel is your guy, but listen to what he says here: the Talleyrand quote is the epitome of realpolitik, and it’s a very outmoded way of thinking, particularly in the post-9/11 era.
We DO have friends: England, Australia, Israel, and yes, even France, most of the time…and the reason they are our friends is because their societies largely believe in the same values we do.
Iran and Syria are murderous, thuggish regimes who make a habit of killing innocents, either directly or through their proxies. We don’t need to get further in bed with nations who are in direct opposition to our values…
Come April, France should be a better friend. Chirac will be out and — with luck — Sarkozy will be in.
And civil wars spread to neighboring states, it’s because the neighboring states have similiar populations — Hutus and Tutsis are in Rwanda and the DRC/Zaire, so a civil war in one state leads to a civil war in the other. When the neighboring states do not have the same population compositions, then they do not experience civil wars in neighboring states; they pick a side and intervene (either directly or with aid). Case in point, there was no civil war in Israel, Palestine or Syria in the late 70’s and 80’s, spilling over from Lebanon. Those states intervened in the Lebanese Civil War. Nor did the Canadians or Mexicans start fighting each other in the 1860’s.
And, as Mark pointed out, Syria continues to promote instability in Lebanon. It is true that no states desire failed states on their borders. Syria and Iran want puppets. Making Iraq and Lebanon into failed states is just a stepping-stone to get to puppet regimes.
Lieberman tends to reflect Israeli points of view, but in this case of speaking to Syria and Iran Lieberman, the Israeli view, and US national interests all coincide toward the correct conclusion.
Lieberman might be a good choice for VP for the Repubs in 2008. Might even swing more of the Jewish vote to the GOP!
Misc. Sunday linkage
Some stories/blog posts you may be interested in perusing:
—- Boston Hearld editor Jules Crittenden writes a blistering editorial slamming the AP for its “shoddy” work on making sure the sources they get some of their scoops from on t…
Misc. Sunday linkage
Some stories/blog posts you may be interested in perusing:
—- Boston Hearld editor Jules Crittenden writes a blistering editorial slamming the AP for its “shoddy” work on making sure the sources they get some of their scoops from on t…
Good ole Joe. I’ve said it before and will say it again. The dude has my vote on foreign policy.
Yes, I’m a liberal nutjob…you know me well…
Umm…realpolitik would be pre-9/11 thinking…you’re seriously confused, my friend…