The Politics of War: McCain's Disastrous "Diplomacy Doctrine"
The McCain campaign has certainly been clear about what diplomacy would look like in a McCain-Palin administration. Either you are in McCain's club of friendly nations or you are not. It is not much different than President Bush's failed diplomacy in the run-up to the Iraq war. "Either you are with us or you are against us," Bush declared in 2002. Unfortunately for the United States, when it came to the decision to invade Iraq, most of the world was against us.
The American people -- not to mention stability in the Middle East -- have been paying the price of Bush's with us or against style for the last five years. It was the pre-war diplomacy that made it so hard to get other countries to join us in Iraq. And it was the pre-war diplomacy that gave the occupation of Iraq its exclusively American stamp. The result has been close to $1 trillion in bills for the American taxpayer, as well as a war strategy that brought America close to defeat.
Now John McCain wants to do it all over again. His campaign made clear a few days ago that in a McCain White House only friends and allies would be welcome to visit. Even the current Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, for instance, would not be welcome. He committed the sin of pulling Spanish troops out of Iraq. So even if you are a NATO ally, if the McCain team doesn't like your decisions, you are not welcome in the White House.
In organizing Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin's schedule this week at the United Nations, we saw the diplomacy doctrine in action. Palin was scheduled to meet only close allies of the Bush administration: the leaders of Colombia, Ukraine, Georgia and Afghanistan. There was a time not so long ago -- the 1992 Presidential campaign for example -- where a candidate showed off their foreign policy credentials by meeting with the leaders of Russia.
McCain's diplomacy doctrine is downright dumb. The purpose of international diplomacy is not only to meet with your friends. Of course, that is a top priority. But there is another goal of diplomacy: to build relationships, to make sure there are no miscommunications between adversaries, and to offer the prospect of better relations in conjunction with changed policies and practices. That is diplomacy 101.
But the McCain camp wants to change all that. In a wild over-reaction to Senator Barack Obama's carefully calibrated offer to meet with the leaders of Iran and other adversaries, the McCain team has put forth a diplomatic doctrine that would genuinely damage America's reputation and limit our foreign policy's effectiveness. A Friends-only Club is just the newest evolution of the McCain proposal to create what he calls a Concert of Democracies in lieu of the United Nations.
By the way, there is nothing wrong with organizing the democracies to work together. In fact, that is something Madeleine Albright did as Secretary of State in the Clinton administration. It can be a useful device to improve the prospect of developing functioning democracies around the world. The Community of Democracies created during the Clinton administration also can serve as a lobbying mechanism when America is trying to win international support for one of our policies.
But to limit the President or the Vice President to seeing only the leaders of allied countries whose policies we agree with -- as the McCain camp argued in defending the candidate's decision not to meet with the Spanish Prime Minister -- is no way to run American foreign policy.
This is just the latest indication that John McCain doesn't get it. With the rise of India and China, and oil riches in the hands of Russia, Iran and Venezuela, global politics is no longer ruled by an American superpower -- if it ever was. The McCain camp is living in the past, still thinking that the diplomatic leverage of a White House visit or meeting is so overwhelming that other countries will bow to our will. Such a view is simplistic, old-thinking that will not serve the American national interest.
If we are lucky, Jim Lehrer will ask about this diplomacy doctrine on Friday night. The questions are simple. Would a McCain administration only invite friends and allies to meet with the President? If so, what was the purpose of all the high-level summits with the Soviet Union, China and other world leaders conducted by Presidents Nixon, Reagan and the first President Bush?
Right before launching the Iraq war, President Bush met with our allies. Unfortunately, rather than a large meeting of coalition nations -- as would have been the case in the first Gulf war or the Kosovo war -- the meeting was limited to Prime Minister Blair of Britain and Prime Minister Aznar of Spain. Looking back on it, that meeting of three leaders (who were labeled the "three amigos") in the Azores was a low point of post-World War II American diplomacy. Nearly everyone in the world saw it as a spectacular failure. But for the McCain team, I guess that was an example of a diplomatic success.
James P. Rubin was an Assistant Secretary of State and Chief Spokesman of the State Department during the Clinton Administration. He teaches at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs
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Hey, Rubin I am looking forward to your return to an active role in American politics in an Obama administration. You were a good Pentagon spokesman, I understand you needed time off to raise your daughter while Mrs Rubin better known as Christiane Amanpour did her thing - needless to mention that she is in my estimation one of the most respected journalist- but if there really is going to be change in Washington, then young respected and accomplished individuals like yourself and your wife should be part of this transition
He has a diplomacy doctrine?
Oh! My GOD, What a crock of s h i t.
President Bush is trying to convince us that we only have 24 hours to pass this bailout or the market will tank. I have to ask why it didn’t drop 500 or 1000 points today.
I’ll tell you what I think and that is we are being blackmail by the Chinese to cover their bad paper or they will pull out all their money and not lend President Bush any more money for his war.
President Bush wants to give into this blackmail to cover his own a s s.
Don’t do it, not one damn penny because if they pull this stunt we will stop buying Chinese products and they too will go broke.
Nothing else explains this rush to bailout.
Great article. I think that the point in the second to last paragraph bears emphasizing.
Nixon met with China, Reagan met with Russia.
The result was that the thawing of the relationship with China is probably Nixon's most important Presidential legacy. And when the Soviet Union collapsed during Reagan's watch, he was in a position to negotiate with Gorbechev about what the future in a post Cold-War world would look like.
I thought Republicans idolized Reagan? It's crazy that Bush/McCain oppose literally his best quality.
Could this election get any odder? I haven't seen elephants in so much trouble since Dumbo's mother was put in jail!
John McCain is like a cranky old man who charges into every family crisis without knowing what's going on, shouts at everyone to shut up and then imposes a solution that's completely irrelevant. The guy is out of touch on everything -- diplomacy, economics, the solutions, the problems. I want to see more videos like this one that's been bouncing around the last couple days:
http://www
It's a very funny little spot, but it's more than that -- it's how we transform John McCain from being a danger to the Republic to being a national joke.
All of those Americans who feel more comfortable with John McCain managing our foreign affairs ought to pay more attention to what James Rubin is saying.
McCains Neoconservative advisors like Randall Scheunemann would be calling the shots in a McCain white House even more than they did in the GW Bush White House.
Remember when Tucker Bounds made the preposterous assertion that the senator does not speak for the campaign? And when Lieberman had to correct him on Al Qaida in Iran? McCain blusters and makes noises, but who's really determining policy positions?
Can we say, same s**t, different administration!!
Good piece of work, James.
McCain adheres to the Bush spoiled brat/bully doctrine: "Either you are with us or you are against US".
That's why he supports Georgia (still in Iraq) subs Spain (withdrew troops from Iraq) and demonizes Russia (for Putin calling the US policy by name: http://www
Problem with this spoiled brat doctrine is that is has no respect for interests or opinions of others whatsoever.
Even worse than Bush he sees no place for diplomacy, he has the intercept/kill approach to any disagreement. He was a second rate pilot never considered for flag officer, slightly disabled so no further flying and out of options within the service went into politics. Having been a POW does not qualify you for president, most certainly not if you are only capable of thinking in terms of winning a war.
I heard Senator Biden's speech in Ohio and he made a Hell of a lot of sense. I had not realized just how out of touch McCain was with his economic and foriegn policy approaches. Seems to me, McCain would be 4 more years of Bush administration, but worse! We need to get ourselves to get out of debt, rebuild bridges around the world, end this endless war in the wrong country, and stop threatening other nations when we can no longer afford to police the world. McCain would not do that and Biden and Obama would!
used to be that this sort of megalomania was speedily likened to the Lil' General. McCain has a Napoleon complex, palin and simple.
sounds like an emperor receiving tribute. how many more fiascos can America finance right now? did you know you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar?
America has had a sick foreign policy for a long time, uninterrupted. Such as the meaningless sanctions against the Iraqi civilian population, costing perhaps a million lives, mainly children, during their 13 years, including all years of the Clinton administration. That's a major problem, Americans are too used to inhumanity and war mongering. I hope that Obama will change this if he wins, bringing humanity back will help the Democrats win the next elections. The Republicans thrive on aggressiveness in society.
The only problem is - Jim Lehrer is in the bag for the repugnants so I doubt he will ask pointed questions or press for a direct answer from McCan't. Obama will have to be sharp and on his toes in order to not only give better responses, but also be able to sidestep Lehrer the lame.
Here's a thought...
Excellent piece. I think the way the McCain/Palin team treated the press during the recent UN visit by Palin is very telling of their style. Very arrogant. Very narcissistic. "It's all about me and pictures of me with important people." No questions. We dictate the terms. We don't answer to anyone. No understanding of complex diplomatic situations. They are "flatlanders" in a 3 dimensional world. "All hat, no cattle".
Very frightening!
You really just scared me. lol. I just had a moment of hopelessness pass over me for a moment.
(whew!)
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