by Barry Rubin
The
expression, “With friends like you who needs enemies?” is an apt summary of a
major problem for U.S. foreign policy during Obama's second term.
Here’s the
issue: a number of supposed allies of the United States don’t act as friends.
In fact, they are major headaches, often subverting U.S. goals and interests. But to avoid conflict and, for Obama, to look
successful to the domestic audience, Washington pretends that everything is
fine.
Consider,
for example, Pakistan. The United States has given billions of dollars to that
country in exchange for supposedly helping keeping the lid on Afghanistan—and especially
to ensure the Taliban does not return to power—and to fight terrorism,
especially al-Qaida.
In reality,
Pakistan supports the Taliban, wages a terrorist war on India, and hasn’t been
all that helpful in fighting al-Qaida. It would be interesting to see the U.S.
intelligence document evaluating how high up in Pakistan’s government was their
knowledge that Usama bin Ladin was “hiding out” a few blocks from a Pakistani
military complex. The fact that Pakistan threw into prison a local doctor whose
work helped find bin Ladin indicates which side that regime is on.
Moreover, Pakistan’s
regime is ferociously oppressing the Christian minority, becoming more Islamist,
and giving women the usual treatment existing in such societies. Obama claims
to be protecting women and religious minorities yet lifts not a finger in
Pakistan. And rather than be a force against terrorism, the Pakistani
government has been sponsoring a terrorist war against India.
After the
horrible massacre of civilians in Mumbai, it became clear that the attack was
sponsored and planned by Pakistan using terrorists trained and enjoying safe
haven in Pakistan. India was left helpless as Pakistan simply refused to cooperate
with the investigation or to turn over terrorists from the group responsible.
In short, the United States is massively subsidizing a major sponsor of
international terrorism.
Yet for the
U.S. government to admit that the Pakistani government is more enemy than
friend would make it even more uncooperative and might lead to attacks on the
U.S. embassy and diplomats. Pretending that a regime like
Pakistan's is helpful--and continuing to fork over U.S. taxpayer money to it--is
a huge temptation. Only if the regime in question does something obviously
horrible, and even the bin Ladin case wasn’t sufficient to sour the White House
on Pakistan, will the situation change.
Of course,
some measures have been taken but basically Pakistan isn’t paying for its
behavior. Consequently, it will continue acting in a hostile way, subsidized by
the United States to do so.
The scope of
this problem becomes clearly visible if you add to this list such places as Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority,
Turkey, Venezuela, Bolivia, and several other countries being in a similar
situation.
Take Egypt for example. The country is now governed by a radical,
anti-American, antisemitic government dedicated to spreading jihad, imposing
Sharia law, and driving U.S. influence from the region. It could be argued that
a mix of carrots and sticks from the United States would moderate the regime’s
behavior. But what if that doesn’t work? The temptation is to continue with the
carrots and forget about the sticks.
Obama says that the “red lines” are that the Cairo regime must adhere
to the peace treaty with Israel; treat women and religious minorities (that is,
Christians) well; and help fight terrorism. But what if it doesn’t? Suppose the Salafist
burn down churches and massacre Christians and the government does not protect
the minority? Suppose a Sharia regime reduces women’s rights to a minimum?
Suppose Egypt declares itself no longer bound by the peace treaty with Israel
or pretty openly arms Hamas in the Gaza Strip for an attack on Israel?
Will Obama be prepared for a conflict, even a confrontation, with
the Arabic-speaking world’s largest country? Would even a President Mitt Romney
do so?
In other words, the argument would be made that it is better to
keep giving money, selling weapons, and shutting up about criticism than to
make a break. Moreover, the president who did so could be accused of getting
the United States into an unnecessary battle and making more enemies. To some
extent, that’s what happened with President George W. Bush.
The possible difference between the two current candidates could
end up looking like this:
Obama version: Although you act as enemies we will believe you are
friends.
Romney version: We know you aren’t really friends but we don’t
have a choice.
In practice, the difference would be that Romney would have a
lower threshold for acting against betrayal than would Obama.
Of course, a large part of the problem with Obama’s policy is that
he not only treated enemies as friends and did not pressure supposed friends
that acted like enemies, he joined them. Thus, Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia
are arming anti-American Islamist forces in Syria with U.S. intelligence
officers supervising the weapons’ supplying. The only restriction is that the
guns don’t go to groups affiliated with al-Qaida. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter
how extremist they are. In Libya, one of the groups—treated as “good guys”--
supplied with guns by the United States during the civil war there went on to
kill the U.S. ambassador.
Yet given the current situation, especially in the Middle East, a
realistic policy would make the enemies’ list seem too long and discouraging.
In political and diplomatic terms that means the truth will be covered up. The
important question is: How far does a country have to go, how futile and even
counterproductive do the pay-offs have to be, before it is no longer treated as
a friend.
Source: http://rubinreports.blogspot.co.il/2012/12/a-paradox-of-us-middle-east-policy.html
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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