An anonymous administration official just gave an incoherent defense of Obama's Middle East policy
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
It's a flummoxing state of play for any US administration to face, especially one that's invested so much effort in reorienting US policy in the region.
And no amount of brilliant policymaking can stave off disaster: the US is a superpower, but it isn't all-powerful, and no modern president has managed to get the region completely right.
But a quote from an Obama administration official in a March 27 New York Times article about the region's turmoil seems to sum up the US's frustration in the region - as well as demonstrate how the Middle East seems to be drifting beyond any meaningful US influence.
"We're trying to beat ISIL - and there are complications," the official told the Times. "We have a partner who is collapsing in Yemen and we're trying to support that. And we're trying to get a nuclear deal with Iran. Is this all part of some grand strategy? Unfortunately, the world gets a vote."
This quote may warrant some unpacking: just what are these "complications" the official refers to? And who is this partner that's "collapsing" in Yemen? After all, the state is essentially defunct, and the country's recognized president just fled the country by boat. Is this a part of a grand strategy, and what is the "this" the official refers to? Both questions are pointedly left unanswered.
REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
The official is right about one thing: the rest of the world does "get a vote." That's true at all times, and the challenge for the US relates to what it can and should do in light of its lack of total control regarding areas that impact vital security and economic interests.
Based on this quote, that's a question the Obama administration is still struggling to answer.
Although a different anonymous official who spoke with Politico had one possible route to US strategic clarity: a nuclear deal with Iran.
"The truth is, you can dwell on Yemen, or you can recognize that we're one agreement away from a game-changing, legacy-setting nuclear accord on Iran that tackles what every one agrees is the biggest threat to the region," an unnamed official told Politco on March 26.
what does this explanation of the Obama admin's Mideast policy even mean? http://t.co/ZWRJxNUfLx pic.twitter.com/n95xpfnCmc
- Mike Giglio (@mike_giglio) March 27, 2015
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
- Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
- Groww receives SEBI approval to launch Nifty non-cyclical consumer index fund
- Retired director of MNC loses ₹25 crore to cyber fraudsters who posed as cops, CBI officers
- Hyundai plans to scale up production capacity, introduce more EVs in India
- FSSAI in process of collecting pan-India samples of Nestle's Cerelac baby cereals: CEO
- Narcissistic top management leads to poor employee retention, shows research