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

Read more reactions to the Biden-Palin Vice Presidential debate from HuffPost bloggers

Comments

[CarmanK]

Did anyone really begin to digest the magnitude of the information revealed on Rachel Maddow's show that the Bush administration urged the continuation of the war in Iraq and the continuation of thoccupation of American troops in Iraq because "of a political situation here (in America).
Rachel mentioned it and then questioned how the soldiers and their families would react to such a message.
The note seems to acknowledge that troops could be moved out of Iraq within Obama's 16 month framework, but that the McBushies needed to more time politically to show off their national security
credentials. I think this should be shouted from the highest hills. It is unconscionable that an American would urge the continuation of war to meet a political goal. You know, people really want to believe that public officials, in all their misbehaviors, would never stoop so low as to betray their country or to committ the lives of innocent americans to the persuit of material objectives.
And every time I think Bushies-neocons could not sink lower, they find a way. They have to live in a bubble, how else could they sleep at night, knowing the needless suffering they are imposing on fellow Americans. This is our country and if we don't take it back soon, there won't be anything to salvage from the Republican yard sale.

[susie1776]

What's that old saying about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer? McCain seems to have forgotten that bit of sage advice. How can you have any idea what your enemy is up to if you have no contact with them?
I'm with Obama/Biden!!

[Garvagh]

Great piece! John McCain could well be an even worse president that G W Bush, should this country be so unlucky as to find McCain in the White House. Only an idiot would sing a ditty about bombing Iran! Is McCain even aware that China and Turkey support Iran's effort to develop nuclear power stations for the purpose of generating electricity? Is McCain even aware that Turkey regards McCain's good buddy, Mikheil Saakashvili, as insane?

[Ari651]

C-O-L-O-M-B-I-A

[iyamchazz]

Sarah don't need to meet the leader of Russia...Hell she been lookin' at Russia for years now. What more is there to know?

[Republicrats]

I dont' think either Obama or Mccain, or any politician for that matter that has come of age in the latter part of the last century understands that most of the worlds troubles come from a post colonial world view. We are all for self determination of people around the world as long as it looks and feels like ours. The same real politik goes for all of the other largest economies/powers of the world, talk the talk, but show us your natural resources and all bets are off. Look at the recent Georgia crisis, Kosovo, or inaction in Darfur, bet there would be if they had oil under that sand huh? Invest at home, end subsidies, end foreign force projection, cut taxes, reduce the size of the federal government, get them out of our bedroom, end manadatory sentencing laws, end the war on drugs, DONT TREAD ON ME!

[iyamchazz]

Kudos Republicrats! I wonder what Manuel Noriega would say about American friendship and democracy right now.

[sandpiper1]

America is about empire building in the guise of forging democracies around the world..check your history...actually Darfur has oil but bush has a deal with Bashur re. terrorists..if Bashsur gives bush the names of terrorists(remember Bin Laden spent 5 years in Sudan b4 bush demanded bashur kick him out), bush will turn a blind eye to what bashur does in darfur. America wants world domination and control of the oil supply and probably the control of Afganistan poppy fields too..that's what narcotic drugs are made from...riches beyond belief.

[HarryJadwani]

James Rubin is right of course but a little tardy....McCain has been promising to outdo Bush Jr. for over a year now, with his macho promises to attack Iran, stay in Iraq for a '100 years' or was that '10,000 years...?

In the Republican nominations runup debate last November, he boldly declared the only reason America lost in Vietnam is because the American people didn't let it......this guy openly declared his opposition to civilian authority over the military.......

McCain has been a wingnut for so long that it seems amazing he not only won the Repub. nomination (possibly because no one wants to pickup the disastrous Bush legacy?) but that he rivals Obama in the polls...

[arthur2008]

Well, John McCain showed great skill in negotiating with Charles Keating.

[USA1776]

Five former Secretaries of State were on CNN the other night and unanimously agreed that the next President needs to explain to the American people that diplomacy is strength. Aside from duh!, there are many arguments to be made for this. McCain lost my vote at Saddleback promoting the bully pulpit.

[KiwisCanFly]

Thanks James, yr points are an accurate account of how to dissect McCain's lack of understanding the full scope of diplomacy.

Sen Biden just gave an excellent speech in Ohio, on the differences between Obama and McCain's foeign policy attitude. When their records are compared, and the result of their perspectives within their decision making.

Obama's judgment and leadership is certainly a high indicator of his preparedness for CIC.

[oldfart1]

"Bush is living in the past"? I don' t think so. The past was real, the world Bush is living in exists only in his Texas oil imagination, where money and power command immediate respect, and he has both.

In fact, he has neither: no respect, no money, and above all, no oil. It's almost all gone, W, and it won't come back. W has spent a trillion $ trying to steal Iraq's oil, and it hasn't worked. Meanwhile his childish ideas have squandered another trillion $ at home on houses people don't need in places they soon won't be able to reach (with gas at $10/gallon).

When the holier-than-thous find that they can't afford even their tax-sheltered megachurches, the country will finally elect a Democrat like FDR. Meanwhile, pray for Obama and pray for Democrats.

[Deparis]

You forgot to mention guns in your first paragraph, he has them too!

[JinChicago]

so do a lot of other americans...

[Beranek]

I'm sure Sarah is reading this right now and taking notes , , , :+). John is too busy looking over and approving his latest political ad in which he lambastes Obama's policy of capitulating to the Evil Empire.
I'm sure that the RNC will respond to Rubin's thoughtful essay by calling him a hack from the failed Clinton Administration.

[wingnutslayer]

Not to change the subject but I think everyone needs to see this. I knew we wouldn't get rid of Bush/Cheney that easily. Go to this story and shudder. Buying some Depends might be a good idea. Not to mention some Kevlar. U'S. troops are deploying at brigade strength in America for the first time in some time. Kevin Phillips: "Dick Cheney spent the Clinton years at the American Enterprise Institute working on how the GOP could gain power and keep it forever." You betcha. The link doesn't work but please go to youtube and watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufxsUCKJ51M&feature=related

[Pegi]

I will - are you listening to Joe Biden right now? WHAT A SPEECH ON FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY!!!! GO JOE!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!

[Pete]

Keep your friends close, your enemies closer...