phoenix lawyers
WHAT PRECONDITIONS? EMPTY RHETORIC FOR THE LESS INFORMED
Count the times you’ve heard this favorite Republican talking point, or something close — “he has said he will meet with the world’s worst dictators without preconditions”. Did a debate or Hardball episode pass without this being thrown out as though it should end all discussion about Obama’s readiness to direct our foreign policy? But ask yourself this obvious follow up question — what are the preconditions? Did you ever once hear any Republican canditate, spokesperson or campaigner ever explain what the preconditions should be? Are they the same for each country, each region, or do they change daily based on the dastardly deeds of our enemies? Does our State Department send daily emails to our enemies so they know what they need to do before they can have a sit down? Or, is this nothing more than a catchy phrase used to appeal to certain segments of the public that yearn for simple slogans to support entrenched political affiliations?
In Brian Williams’ interview of McCain and Palin in the final weeks of the campaign, Palin was asked this very question. Her response was a rambling summary about the danger of Obama’s policies and his naivety. But she never gave an example — not one. McCain sat by looking like a nervous school boy that hadn’t done his homework the night before the pop oral quiz. “Please, oh please don’t ask me that question Brian”, he must have been thinking. Thankfully, Mr. Williams didn’t pursue and once again, the precondition card was left to float about without real challenge.
In the months leading up to the election, in exchange after exchange, I’ve challenged GOP partisans to provide specific preconditions that must be met by any one country. Not once have I received a direct response, or at least one that was thought out in advance. Little is written that explains in detail what the preconditions should be. The best anyone can do is set out conditions that in reality are the end goals we seek to achieve. This is true for any country and any issue. For example, several sources report that Iran recently set preconditions to speak with the US. One of these conditions is that we must pull out of Iraq. So, the precondition to talk is really Iran’s end objective for holding any current talks on Irag with the US - get out of Iraq.
One can assume that Republican hardliners would say conditions for meeting with Iran include Iran immediately ceasing all nuclear activities, immediately ceasing certain human rights violations and immediately denouncing, renouncing, repudiating, rebuking, etc. all anti-Israeli activities. So, in order to meet with the U.S., Iran must stop doing everything that causes the U.S. to call Iran our enemy (or at least not our friend). And American politicians believe this condition setting business will move our relationship with Iran and others forward? Are they serious?
Consider any difficult relationship. Say, for example, the relationship of a married couple of 20 years (not that any married couples have difficult relationships). Assume both spouses have a laundry list of complaints about the other. Assume one spouse, say the wife, wants to sit down and talk about the issues and try to find common ground. Assume the husband imposes, as a condition to talking, that the wife satisfy all of his major complaints. Considering the sensitive and volitile nature of marriage, like the sensitive and volatile nature of foreign relations, it’s easy to figure out where the wife will tell the husband to take his preconditions (imagine the husband who imposes a condition of more, uh-hum, affections — he’ll be seeing his needs met, right ladies?).
How are conditions with non-allied foreign countries and their leaders different? As Brent Scowcroft recently said, “It’s hard to make things better if you don’t talk.” Talking with those you dislike reminds one of the old saying about friends and enemies — keep your friends close and your enemies closer. If you want to know what the dark side is up to, if you want to change its course, you won’t accomplish your goals by retreating into a corner. Go ask the husband that sulks on the couch as the wife emplores him to open up. That relationship is doomed, as are our foreign policy relationships if we don’t get up off the couch and sit down at the table to talk - before it really is too late.