The German Daily, Die Zeit, benefits from having regular commentary by Germany’s former Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer. I am always inclined to read pieces by former players on the world stage more closely than others, since where journalists have, in the final analysis, to guess about the dynamics of global politics, these players draw on an internalized knowledge of the way things really work – after all the processes that happen away from our eyes, and the eyes of newspapers reporters and pundits, have played out.
Accordingly, of the many interesting articles on Watching America.com today, I highlight this one, originally entitled, “Advantage Syria and Iran“, written by said Joschka Fischer.
From the article…
The present,
From Iran’s and Syria’s point of view, the past years have strengthened and not weakened their position… Today, Iran is the most influential power in Iraq
The stakes,
Whoever wins control over Iraq and the Persian Gulf will sooner or later claim absolute dominance and hegemony in the entire region
The future,
Iran[‘s] dangerousness may not be underestimated…. No American president will be able to simply withdraw their troops from Iraq. A fallback without political resolution would be an unprecedented disaster for the interests and the prestige of the world power of the USA. … Out of self-interest, the new American government, if in a Democratic or Republican form, will pursue a politic of involvement and direct negotiations with Iran and Syria.
Read the whole piece here – translation from German courtesy of WATCHING AMERICA.com
Robin Koerner is a British-born citizen of the USA, who currently serves as Academic Dean of the John Locke Institute. He holds graduate degrees in both Physics and the Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge (U.K.). He is also the founder of WatchingAmerica.com, an organization of over 100 volunteers that translates and posts in English views about the USA from all over the world.
Robin may be best known for having coined the term “Blue Republican” to refer to liberals and independents who joined the GOP to support Ron Paul’s bid for the presidency in 2012 (and, in so doing, launching the largest coalition that existed for that candidate).
Robin’s current work as a trainer and a consultant, and his book If You Can Keep It , focus on overcoming distrust and bridging ideological division to improve politics and lives. His current project, Humilitarian, promotes humility and civility as a basis for improved political discourse and outcomes.