Fred First is a gentle concerned voice against the coming war and the world situation. I admire him greatly, I also disagree with him, but never doubt his sincerity. Fred posted this today:
Will There Be More Resignations?John Brady Kiesling, a veteran U.S. diplomat based in Greece, sent this letter of resignation to Secretary of State Colin Powell on Feb. 27.
I began to answer in his comments and soon realized that I would do better to reply in my own forum. I find the method and timing of Mr. Kiesling's resignation less than honorable. It serves no pupose other than to draw attention to State's failure on so many fronts.
Perhaps we could have handled Russia a bit more skillfully after the Soviet Union emploded. Our Balkan policy/intravention and condemnation of the Chechen civil war alienated the conservative oligarchy. Our failure to prevent massive looting of the funding we put in place to create a free market economy also figures into our current problematic relationship with Russia. Strobe Talbot and State under Warren Christopher did a poor job of the Soviet transition, enabling Putin to gain power.
The old hands in the Kremlin prefer to deal with Europe, whom they perceive correctly as feckless and fangless. They do not look kindly to being our "little brother" in the world power hierarchy. Our intent to move bases from Germany to Poland and Hungary is a political problem for Putin if he remain closley tied to the US. The Kremlin and Putin also realize we will not be forthcoming with funding until they achieve real reform, which they cannot do and retain power. Remember Putin was the head of the KGB; his backers are not progressive reformers. Russia also has a vested interest in Iraq oil production and maintaining oil prices...which are critical to his political survival and their economy.
France is exploiting this fissure for it's own purposes. France is very close to defaulting and sees it's last best hope in dominating the EU. France must keep price supports and tariffs in place in order to compete. France is also heavily dependent on Iraqi oil and must have the new fields to maintain a viable economy. Germany is struggling under a massive debt, high unemployment and plummeting GDP created by social programs and an aging population. Schroeder ran on a diversion campaign of anti-Americanism, he has no choice but to vote with France and Russia. All three must keep Old Europe together in an attempt to shift economic power from the US and prop up their markets. The Baltic States and former Soviet Eastern Bloc are a threat to "Old Europe's" balance of power.
A possible motivation for the UK joining us in the Iraq campaign is that they do not intend to stay the course in Europe, that they will leave the EU. Should France block the former Eastern Bloc nations from joining the EU, the Brits will have a tailor made escape. The Brits have an ancient, visceral dislike for France and Germany. In the end they will not subjugate British interests to either. Old Europe has a young, exploited poly-got population. A time bomb of their own making by importing millions of cheap guest workers and repatriating their colonial brethren. The irony may be that Europe’s only hope of economic survival is to metamorphose into a New Europe with a younger work force.
It is very facile to lay all this at Bush's door but many of the diplomatic difficulties in which we are currently ensnared were created on Kiesling's watch when the US forced an unilateral solution in the Balkans against Europe’s advice, made an ill-advised deal with North Korea, appeased China, interfered in Israeli elections, failed to reach a solution to the Palestinian problem, or deal with Saddam, the rise of Wahhabism, the house of Saud and escalating terrorism in the mid-80’s-90's.
Anyone who thinks that all this went to hell since January 2001 is fooling himself or herself. Nor should be it a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to world politics and/or economics. We have been on this track for more than two decades. Carter and Reagan had a hand in sowing the seeds of discontent in the Mideast and our State Dept must bear it's share of blame as well. Too many at Foggy Bottom protecting their turf for turf's sake.
No, many chefs created this soup in which we are now simmering.
It is easy for Kiesling to make a high ground gesture and depart to the private sector. Hard would be to stay and work on retractable issues in spite of his dislike for the current administration/policies. For isn't Kiesling abandoning the field to those he feels are not worthy? Other than a brief splash in the media his resignation changes nothing, his staying might.
I am afraid that there isn’t an easy solution or blame to lie that will remedy the situation. Nor will electing another President or party. We are in this for the long haul and even if we do not go to war with Iraq, it will not always be easy or pleasant. Like it or not since WWII the world looks to us for solutions to its problems. Unlike Mr. Kiesling, we cannot pick and choose our battles, they will come whether we ask for them or not.
I have great faith in this messy, fractious system of governance that we have created and if we were a tenth as evil or venial as our enemies and detractors say, why would millions joyfully embrace our way of life and seek to join us yearly?
I did read you article (composed in the wee hours, I suppose you will sleep in today?) and just have some brief and superficial remarks to several snippets...
"It serves no pupose other than to draw attention to State's failure on so many fronts."
FF/ It is for drawing attention to specific failures that I found this man's action admirable. Those who remain silent and acquiesce to policies they deem immoral and hurtful but stay the course for reasons of political survival I have diminishing respect for.
"For isn't Kiesling abandoning the field to those he feels are not worthy? Other than a brief splash in the media his resignation changes nothing, his staying might."
FF/ At some point, a person must abandon the field to those who play by rules that will not change, regardless of how loud that one dissenting voice may be. I've left more than one job because of 'moral conflicts' when it became clear the two parties were marching to the sound of different drummers. My resignation may have been only a brief splash in the organization, but I had to live with myself for the rest of my life, as Mr. Kiesling does.
"Unlike Mr. Kiesling, we cannot pick and choose our battles, they will come whether we ask for them or not."
FF/ We cannot chose our battles, but I can chose mine. I'm sure there are times when I have commited the sin of omission, remaining silent when I should have made noise, just as Mr. Kiesling may have made wrong or ineffectual choices in the small role he may have played in the larger issues from former administrations you cite. I can't change my past mistakes of omission or commission. But I can chose to make a solitary stand on issues that are matters of personal integrity, even if my action won't win the war and other battles will arise.
Yes, I agree with what you say in prinicpal. You see my problem with many of those who are speaking out now is that they lost the moral high ground by remaining silent during the previous administration's foreign policy blunders. You use the metaphor of different drummers, but the music Kiesling marched to was discordant to our interests in the long term as well. Different is not always good.
One cannot take part in implementing bad policy and think their resignation over more bad policy is moral or retain any credibility. In part our foreign policy has been driven by career bureaucrats at State and until they clean their own house it won't much matter who controls the White House or Congress.
Sorry, Kiesling's act of piety doesn't wash...it's bald opportunism. Watch what he does next, he will no doubt write a book, turn up in academia or a liberal think tank.
"... they lost the moral high ground by remaining silent during the previous administration's foreign policy blunders."
Yessum. Except I disagree with your
labelling the previous administration's kicking the can further up the road as "foreign policy."
And yes, now the can is full of worms.
;)
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Posted by: jaspar at March 11, 2003 07:15 PM