Pivoting back to the Middle East
When President Obama dispatched Hillary Clinton from Myanmar to Gaza, he was admitting something he'd rather not say in public: it won't be easy for America to pivot to Asia and away from the Middle East.
Pivoting back to the Middle East
Trudy Rubin, Inquirer Opinion Columnist
When President Obama dispatched Hillary Clinton from Myanmar to Gaza, he was admitting something he'd rather not say in public: it won't be easy for America to pivot to Asia and away from the Middle East.
The trip to Myanmar was premature, a public display of Obama's expressed intent to focus more on Asia, including more support for southeast Asian nations that don't want to be bullied by Beijing. But Obama's visit provided Burmese generals with a huge reward before it's clear they are fully commited to a pluralist political process. Legendary Burmese opposition leader and Nobel winner Saw Aung Sang Suu Ky was reportedly worried the visit came too soon.
Moreover, the Asia trip was overshadowed by the war in Gaza, with Israel raining bombs onto Hamas sites in relatliation for hundreds of rocket attacks on her towns and cities. These exchanges - and the possibility of an Israeli invasion of Gaza - are a stark warning that Obama can't afford to turn his back on the Middle East - no matter how much he wants to leav it behind.
Yes, the United States may no longer need Mideast oil 15 years from now once new domestic sources come fully on line., But, in the meantime, an absence of U.S. leadership is dangerous: it creates a vacuum that Iran and Sunni Islamist militants, and Al Qaeda affiliates are eager to fill.
Moreover, the death of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process (a reality Washington has yet to admit), will add to the region's volatility. The Gaza fighting - encouraged by Tehran, which provides the rockets to Hamas - could, if not stooped soon, lure Israel into another dangerous ground war, and destroy its peace trety with Egypt. And the Syrian civil war may produce a failed state that could become a new jihadi mecca.
So no wonder Secretary of State Clinton has left Asia for the Middle East. That's where her focus should be now.
Kudos on your blogs. Maybe Washington can't admit the death of the peace process because they have no alternative. There is no way to peace without Israel giving up enough territory for a viable Palestinian state and Israeli politicians won't do that.
Why are American politicians so abject in their submission to Israeli politicians? The US Congress jumps up and cheers Netanyahu in a way the Israeli Knesset never would. What are the Americans so scared of?
It can't just be AIPAC.— PHILEXILE- Spell check...is your friend.— jimmymack
