My Conversation with Ken Pollack

I recently talked to Ken Pollack of the Brookings Institution about his new book, A Path Out of the Desert: A Grand Strategy for America in the Middle East. Here is a part of that conversation:

Comments

[Liberal2]

Middle east nations never cared about the Palestinians until Israel was created (a function of centuries old Islamism versus Judaism). And wouldn't care today if oil revenues didn't need protecting, so the middle eastern man-in-the-street is distracted by the middle eastern state-owned national media continued focus on the existence of a Jewish nation.

[TJCSpgs]

Saw the Pollack interview.

Could not avoid the irony of the title of his book, 'A Path Out of the Desert', since Pollack played a prominent role in leading us Into the Desert.

Some of his thematics make sense, now - but one would wish for more humility from those who erred so grievously, leading our country into what has probably been the greatest strategic blunders in our history.

I'm also struck that so few Middle East 'experts' identify or acknowledge the center of gravity in the 'War on Terror' - which can be summarized in a single word: oil. Pollack advocates that we 'engage' to improve the lot of average citizens in Arab nations. But this will never be accomplished unless we dis-engage from our co-dependent energy relationship with their governments.