Charting American Foreign Policy through "Shark Infested" Waters

The Zionist Shark on Patrol off of Sharm

And no... those are not "Mossad Sharks" in those waters.

They are the "Sharks" of Middle Eastern Diplomacy. Maybe though a minefield would be a better analogy as no matter what one does there are tricky "explosives" waiting with each step.

Either way, this week has featured the AIPAC Conference and a host of speeches from American Leaders as to what our course may take for the next few years.

Now first off we Secretary of State Kerry, who visited the troubled Egyptian Regime of Mahmoud Morsi reiterate the American commitment to the struggling Egyptian Government. This government headed by the Islamist government of the Muslim Brotherhood has been struggling with a number of different issues including crushing debt, an opposition that is seeking real domestic political reform, but also dealing with the issue of the rhetoric of the street and the Islamic Movement versus the realities of running a country. So far the U.S. in my opinion has acted as wisely as possible given all of the alternatives. And given that the U.S. right now is trying to build an effective alliance to counter Iranian Hegemony in the region seems to be on a prudent path.

Vice President Biden went on about this at the AIPAC Conference this week in Washington:

Vice President Joe Biden on Monday tried to end any questions pro-Israel activists have about President Barack Obama’s commitment to doing whatever necessary to block Iran’s nuclear program.

Obama’s policy “is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Period. Period. End of discussion,” Biden told attendees at the American-Israel Public Affairs Council conference in Washington. “Prevent. Not contain — prevent,” Biden added emphatically.

“Big nations can’t bluff and presidents of the United States cannot and do not bluff and President Barack Obama is not bluffing,” Biden declared, in what he said was a preview of remarks Obama will make during a trip to Israel scheduled for later this month. “We are not looking for war [but] all options, including military force, are on the table,” Biden said.

and talked about where Egypt fit into the equation..

We have no illusions -- we know how difficult this will be and how difficult it is. There’s been -- obviously been a dramatic change in Egypt. A lot of it has given us hope and a lot of it has given us pause, and a lot of it has caused fears in other quarters.  

 It’s not about us, but it profoundly affects us. We need to be invested in Egypt’s success and stability. The stable success of Egypt will translate into a stable region. We’re not looking at what’s happening in Egypt through rose-colored glasses. Again, our eyes are wide open. We have no illusions about the challenges that we face, but we also know this: <strong>There’s no legitimate alternative at this point to engagement </strong>(vb1 emphasis). 

and he is right... There is no legitimate alternative but to engage. What other alternative can there be. Were we to disengage or actively involve ourselves in Egypt's civil dispute we would face repercussions that would be detrimental to our interests at the current time. Like it or not, so far (despite any rhetoric), Egypt has been maintaining the Peace Treaty and has kept Hamas in check to a degree. Yes, there are some very disturbing stories coming out of Egypt about... well everything. That said, what is the alternative?

To not engage would be a disaster. Given events in the North around Syria and a potential Islamist Government there which would threaten not only Israel but Jordan as well, or in Lebanon where Hizbollah is gathering up what it can of Assad's "nasty" weaponry an unstable Egyptian regime would a nightmare that would create all kinds of problems again not only for Israel but for the KSA as well. Just imagine if the U.S. did not engage with the Morsi government. Who do you think would be in there in a heartbeat providing the Egyptians with everything they need? RIGHT... The Iranians (who by the way are arming and training Hamas - something that is pissing off the Egyptians).

So now, you would have the Egyptians / Iranians sitting in the Sinai, Hizbollah and Iran sitting in the North in Lebanon, Jihadis in Damascus putting pressure on Jordan. It would be a total "clusterfuck". How does that situation look now? With Egypt in check (and it has been so far) and the Canal in "friendly hands", The U.S. only has to worry about Syria and Lebanon as the last vestiges of Iranian Imperialist dreams.

Head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Robert Menendez (D-NJ) had this to say (which I think is extremely well said) in regards to Egypt:

The November 2012 Israeli military operation in Gaza is a reminder of the critical importance of Egypt as a mediator in the Arab World.

We should be focusing more of our efforts on keeping Egypt stable by helping a struggling Egyptian economy, which is the context in which I accept Secretary Kerry’s announcement over the weekend pledging $250 million in non-military assistance.

Still, we must be ever-vigilant in monitoring the situation. American security assistance to Egypt can’t be a blank check.

That’s why Congress made it abundantly clear – in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 – that US assistance to Egypt would be contingent upon upholding its 1979 Peace Treaty with Israel. That is our bottom line, and it will remain our bottom line when it comes to the US-Egyptian relationship.In short, for the good of the region — for the good of Israel, and for our own security interests – we must work with Egypt and help steer it in the right direction. (vb1 emphasis).

So stabilizing the area is one of the goals. The other is maintaining our strong support for our Israeli allies. And despite the troubles with budgeting the U.S. will rightly continue to support funding for Israel to continue to develop its missile defense systems. Meeting with outgoing Defense Minister Ehud Barak, new Secretary of Defense Hagel there was this:

WASHINGTON — US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel told his Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak Tuesday that while the US continues to believe there is still time to address the threat of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons through diplomacy, that window is closing.

In his first meeting with a foreign defense chief, the newly appointed Hagel expressed his strong commitment to Israel’s security, including maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge and continued US support for missile and rocket defense systems in spite of fiscal constraints...

....Both leaders agreed that the United States-Israeli defense relationship has never been stronger than during the Obama administration and that both nations will continue this unprecedentedly close cooperation.

Now is this a course I as an American citizen can agree with? Definitely. I am not happy with what I see coming out of Egypt but, frankly I see (as Joe Biden so rightly says) no legitimate alternative, unless we want to crap out of the region, pick up our bags and go home. There is simply no way around it.

The most important thing for the region and for the U.S.A. is to continue our presence in a meaningful way and to make sure that Iran DOES NOT have the ability or means to threaten any of our friends and allies in the area.