Posts in "us foreign policy"

By Nick Leavens at 9:55PM

Jan 31, 2010

U.S. to depoly Patriot missiles in Middle East

While at every turn President Obama attempts to distance himself from the policy decisions of the previous administration in Washington, the President sure seems to be following the same playbook in regards to foreign policy. Several days ago during the State of the Union address, President Obama made a very decisive statement about Iran's 'nuclear capability': "...Iran's leaders continue to ignore their obligations, there should be no doubt: They, too, will face growing consequences. That is a promise."

There was certainly no hesitation in this decision, as today, British newspaper the Guardian reports:

The US is dispatching Patriot defensive missiles to four countries – Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait – and keeping two ships in the Gulf capable of shooting down Iranian missiles. Washington is also helping Saudi Arabia develop a force to protect its oil installations.

It seems quite clear that the Nobel Peace Prize winner intends to remove diplomacy with Iran from the table and scrap any new 'hope' and 'change' in strategy with regards to how Tehran is approached. It's also interesting to note that while they have operated oil installations for many years, Saudi Arabia appears to have realized a deficiency in its ability to protect their own interests. You may read the entire article here.

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By Roy Antoun at 6:27PM

Jan 29, 2010

Prodding a Stick at an Angry Pit Bull

US-Iran Foreign Policy Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton released a statement today in Paris that if China did not place sanctions on Iran with the United States, it would “face economic insecurity and diplomatic isolation.” China, a major importer of crude oil from Iran, has invested in the country’s oil and gas sector and preferred to negotiate with Iran instead. The danger for the United States in this particular scenario lies within China’s ability to veto the sanction on Iran within the United Nations. However, the real question is asking what truly defines American national interest.

For a country that is severely in debt to China, one would question why the United States is threatening the Asian power with “economic insecurity” to begin with. Furthermore, we see an unhealthy dependency between two state governments that owe one another money. With this comes the danger of governments hoarding private sector dollars. No matter how capitalistic economists may argue China is, both China and the US have functioned almost similarly in that government directs the flow of money through a central banking system, whether it is The People’s Bank of China or the Federal Reserve. And through that directing, governments now have the ability to threaten one another on behalf of what they claim is the greater good.

Not only is economic dependency dangerous, but so is prodding a stick at an angry pit bull.