uuhhhmmm
dont mind admitting
think
this site has made me more tolerant tiwards womens affairs and concerns
esp with the acceptance of many here
incl
the two female PMS this country has had in the last 20 years
one currently,handling this CV
the other,spendfing 9 successfu years running the ciuntry,then finishing with many successful years in the dubious haha UN
It's All About Choices
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Happy International Women's Day!
Book Talk!
Tuesday, March 9, 6pm EST
Join us as we talk to FPI Fellow Séverine Autesserre about her new book,
Frontlines of Peace: An Insider's Guide to Changing the World. After
this NYT review of the book, I'm even more excited to sit down and talk about it. It is an honest look at peace and conflict resolution efforts.
RSVP here
It's All About Choices
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken gave his first foreign policy address this week. It coincided with the release of the "
interim strategic guidance." That's a precursor to the National Security Strategy, a guide to the Biden administration's foreign policy approach. The speech is
worth watching. It is also worth dissecting a few points. Yes, I'm restraining myself.
Diplomacy after Trump
“We’re not simply picking up where we left off, as if the past four years didn’t happen. We’re looking at the world with fresh eyes,” Blinken said.
Different eyes, perhaps. Fresh though? Last week, the Biden administration released an intelligence report that concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (aka MBS) ordered the murder of
Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The White House rolled out the Khashoggi ban, a visa restriction policy for anyone who engages in “serious, extraterritorial counter-dissident activities” on behalf of a foreign government. Seventy-six Saudis made the list. MBS was not one of them. In fact, no sanctions or punishment were leveled against his royal highness. (Insert sarcastic tone.) Impunity for the win.
Many decried that Biden had gone back on his tough campaign talk that he would indeed hold MBS to account. Yes. But, campaigning and governing are two entirely different things. When you're in the hot seat, things are not just hot, they are in much clearer focus. Governing cannot be tied to political bullet points or reduced to black and white actions toward any one country or world leader. Still, if you're proclaiming a "fresh" foreign policy approach, make sure it's just that.
Foreign policy "values"
"American leadership and engagement matter," Blinken noted. "The world does not organize itself. When the US pulls back....either another country tries to take our place, but not in a way that advances our interests and values; or...no one steps up, and then we get chaos and all the dangers it creates."
For much of the 20th century, proclaimed American "values" such as human rights, civil liberties, and the respect for the rule of law coincided with US economic supremacy. Democracy and the free market went hand in hand. In fact, they were used interchangeably. See Thomas Friedman.
Today, human rights and the rule of law largely conflict with the free market. China has shown that democracy is not a prerequisite for economic growth and prosperity. And so they persecute Uyghur Muslims. Strongmen like MBS, along with Putin, Orban, Bolsonaro, and Erdoğan take comfort in the fact that the US is loath to risk trade or commercial ties with another nation over non-democratic actions or upend global stability over the violation of international law. Business "trumps" principles. Crimea is all yours, Vladimir.
What's your point Elmira?
Diplomacy is not easy anywhere. For the United States, the world's largest economy and largest military power, it is enormously difficult. There are numerous and conflicting considerations. Especially today, amid climate change, health pandemics, and increasing authoritarianism, extremism, and polarization, it's tightrope walking on a silk thread. Balancing all of it will require not fresh eyes but sober ones. The United States must make tough choices on the world's stage. If it is serious about democracy and the rule of law, then it must punish violators. That doesn't mean invade countries and engage in regime change, both of which are undemocratic, not to mention ineffective. It means making tough choices. And that's called leadership.
--Elmira
Elsewhere in the World.....
Things on our radar....
2020 was a year of movements. Black Lives Matter, the Poor People’s Campaign, and the Sunrise Movement took center stage. Maria Stephan explores how
these domestic movements might impact US foreign policy. (
Just Security)
Biden has promised to restore the US's role "back at the head of the table." Jessica Mathews argues
US foreign policy must be completely remade, not restored. (
Foreign Affairs)
Listen:
Far-right extremism has become a growing threat worldwide. Elmira sat down with Cynthia Miller-Idriss to discuss how, and what can be done about it. (
Opinion Has It)
Kudos to the Truman Center on publishing this comprehensive study that looks at the US State Department. "
Pathways to a More Just, Equitable, and Innovative Institution." Interruptrr favorite Maryum Saifee served as the task force lead. (
Truman Center)
Freedom House released the
latest Freedom In the World report, a country-by-country assessment of political rights and civil liberties in 2020. Last year marked the 15th consecutive year of decline in global freedom, and the report finds that fewer than a fifth of the world’s people now live in fully free countries. The report also focuses on how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this democratic decline. (
Freedom House)
