Sir Jeremy Greenstock, former UK ambassador to the UN and current director of the Ditchley Foundation, spoke on 'America and the Middle East in the Post-Iraq Invasion Era'.
"It's going to be a generation before the Iraqis can come out of the chaos that has been created for them, with the last 3-years essentially creating more disillusionment in the region towards US," said Greenstock.
He said the relative power of the US peaked at the end of the last century and it is struggling to find legitimate reasons to wage war. The question then is: "Will it adjust to the expectations of its people and those of outsiders'? Will the policy makers in Washington realise that they have some responsibility to contribute towards global peace."
US Presidency Will Have to Rediscover Diplomacy: Envoys, Sarmad Qazi, Gulf Times, October 25, 2007
THE next US president will have to act and think globally, rediscover the art of diplomatic measures and manage friends and allies through multilateral processes, a group of ambassadors and academics said at a discussion yesterday on 'The United States and the Middle East after the Bush Presidency: A View from Outside' at Al Sharq Village, which was organised by the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q).
There were two panels of speakers with four members each. The first panel concentrated on relations between the United States and Middle East after Bush's departure in January 2009 and the second panel focused on 'America's Role in the Middle East'.
Former US under secretary for political affairs, and career ambassador, Thomas Pickering delivered the key note address at the end of panel discussions.
Speaking on, 'America and the World after the Bush Presidency', Casimir Yost, director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) at Georgetown University, said three issues play a fundamental role in America's policy making: Downsizing of globalisation, accommodating rising powers and attention to neglected nations.
"The downsizing of globalisation is empowering banks and terrorist which is deeply disruptive to USA. We've gone from an industrial country to a service country. Now 80% of US GDP is service-based, with only 12% a result of industrialisation," explained Yost.
Yost pointed out that the global middle class will increase from 400mn to 1.2bn over the next 10-20yrs. These newly enriched people will want to buy cars, trucks and other sources of greenhouse emissions.
Yost also highlighted the role emerging players like China, India and Brazil will play. He said China has just surpassed USA in CO2 emissions.
"The challenge for the next president will also be to contain the liberalisation of trade and environmental issues," he said.
Regarding the engagement of weak or fragile states, Yost said: "A State that has no control over its borders and the people is a fragile state."
Chester A Crocker, who teaches conflict management and regional security at Georgetown University, spoke on 'American foreign policymaking during and after the Bush Presidency'.
He insisted that it is essential for the USA to broaden the vision of the government since the global war on terror is too narrow, and at the same the pay attention to domestic policy as well, which "seems to have been sidelined by the present regime".
"The question that is building for the next president is how to in fact aid a transition from chaos in Iraq to sustainable peace."
"We used to be a nation of institution and alliance builders, but have lost that art. The next president will have to re-discover that lost art of diplomacy," concluded Crocker.
Former Singapore ambassador to the US, Chang Heng Chee, who has also served as permanent representative to UN spoke about 'America and its allies after the Bush Presidency'. She explained how America has developed a network of friendly nations over the decades.
"During the cold-war, we had non-aligned pro-west and nonaligned pro-east countries, but there is no longer a Russia, there is no longer an axis paradigm," Chee said, while building her case.
"In between the treaty allies and non-allies of US, there has been a hazy area, where say, countries like Singapore fall, which is not a treaty ally but a 'friendly nation'. Whereas, a country like Pakistan is a treaty ally but a reluctant one to that extent," remarked Chee.
"US, in a textured global environment cannot simply rely on certain allies and certain resolution treaties," said Chee.
According to her, the new emerging powers are eager to assert their roles in the regions, and have formed smaller groups –- sometimes overlapping, which on occasions are in direct contrast to their respective relations with US.
The last speaker, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, former UK ambassador to the UN and current director of the Ditchley Foundation, spoke on 'America and the Middle East in the Post-Iraq Invasion Era'.
Sir Greenstock's foremost comment was to bring the audience's attention to the ambiguity in his topic, since according to him "The Post-Iraq Invasion Era continues, with no possible result in sight any time soon".
"It's going to be a generation before the Iraqis can come out of the chaos that has been created for them, with the last 3-years essentially creating more disillusionment in the region towards US," said Greenstock.
He said the relative power of the US peaked at the end of the last century and it is struggling to find legitimate reasons to wage war. The questioned then is: "Will it adjust to the expectations of its people and those of outsiders'? Will the policy makers in Washington realise that they have some responsibility to contribute towards global peace."