Too little (seven years) too late, say the Mexicans, for whom Bush’s Mid-east trip is a little of the deja vu:
This trip made by Bush to the Middle East, for which the President could not find time before, resembles a similar trip made by Vice-president Dick Cheney in 2002 when Washington was seeking support for the invasion of Iraq, while the Arabs were only interested in talking about their conflict with Israel. The same seems to be true now: Bush seems to have left in search of allies for attacking Iran, but the Persian Gulf states do not seem to be interested.
The question is – since the Administration must have expected this reaction – is Bush counting on the fact that his interlocutors in the Arab halls of power do not share the opinions of any of their Arab peoples, expressed in the press all over the region, or does he simply know something that none of us know.
(Of course, there is the possibility that he doesn’t know something that all of us know… Mmm…. )
Read “Bush’s Trip to Talk War” here.
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.