Lecture 2 : American Foreign policy: dilemmas of goals and objectives

But first, the news--(our area is almost always prime news in the daily press - and take a look at Al Jazeera's home page and video news bulletin and the focus on Gaza)

• Outcry Erupts Over Reports That Israel Used Phosphorus Arms on Gazans, NYT, Jan 21, 2009
• Hamas leader urges West to talk , BBC News, 21 Jan 2009
• On Palestinian Question, Tough Choices for Obama, NYT Jan 21, 2009
• Seasoned Negotiator to Serve as a Mideast Envoy, NYT Jan 21, 2009
• Obama Meets With Officials on Iraq, Signaling His Commitment to Ending War, NYT Jan. 21, 2009
• Taliban Fill NATO’s Big Gaps in Afghan South, NYT, Jan 21, 2009
• Clement Henry, “Security’s Rhetoric,” Northwestern Journal of International Affairs IV (Winter 2002), pp. 27-31

And then to your Congressional Quarterly reading about US Policy in the Middle East, pp. 159-166.

There is domestic policy making and foreign policy making - but most policies are intermestic, as illustrated by Kenneth O'Donnell in the administration of John F Kennedy as depicted in the movie Thirteen Days about the Cuba missiles crisis of October 1962). Who will be Obama's Karl Rove ?

Question: What are US objectives in the Middle East?: CQ report lists its nonpartisan set of objectives upfront, p 159: (see also http://www.whitehouse.gov/ and the new Obama agenda)

1. security of Israel
2. Arab-Israeli peace
3. access to oil
4. countering Soviets until 1989, then terrorism esp. after 9/11/01
5. stemming proliferation of WMD, esp nuclear weapons
6. promoting regime change "in certain countries."

How do your possible research subjects relate to them?

• Iraq: how to withdraw, how to stay?
• Nuclear nonproliferation: after India and Pakistan, Iran soon to follow?
• Regional Security in the Persian Gulf: issues of oil, free navigation, and political stability
• Advancing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process: identifying the partners in the post Arafat and post Sharon era?
• Fighting terrrorism, narcotics, and international crime: state-building in Afghanistan, Somalia, etc.?
• Relations with the United Nations and peace-keeping
• Promoting democracy and human rights - for Egypt? for Saudi Arabia? - how and where?
• Arms control versus arms sales: more arms races fueled by oil revenues?
• Trade issues and economic sanctions: promoting Arab countries' trade with Israel, isolating Iran?

Three dilemmas of foreign policy-making in democracies:

1. checks and balances vs concentation of presidential power: democracy at home vs power abroad
2. the policy-making process vs output: democratic participation in process vs "correct" (in light of the national interest) outcome - the issue of lobbies and the media.
3. broad democratic participation in domestic policy-making vs. foreign policy-making by small elite

The players: (here is a search engine for US Govt)

• President (chief of state, exec, legislator, party, diplomat, commander in chief, chif pastor!)
• National Security Council
• State -- and the Middle East Parnership Initiative (MEPI) http://www.info.usaid.gov/
• Defense
• CIA (and its World Factbook), NSA, DIA, NRO, FBI
• Treasury
• Agriculture
• Labor
• Commerce
• Fed Reserve (Arthur Greenspan tgo be succeeded by Ben Bernanke)
• Congress: Senate treaties, ambassadors (Senate Ctte on Foreign Rels)
• plus House: declare war, budget
• interest groups
• the public.....and of course the media 4th estate.

COLD WAR consensus and reconciliation of democracy with the national interest: Bipartisan Containment policy...but today???