In an event hosted by the Center for American Progress Action Fund, Senator Joe Biden, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, rebutted recent foreign policy speeches by Senator McCain and President Bush.
In Bush's address to the Israeli Knesset he castigated those who would engage with the likes of Iran, likening them to the appeasers that eased Hitler's ascent to European dominance before World War II. For many this was a thinly veiled criticism of Barack Obama who has recommended engagement with Iran as the best initial tactic in resolving American disagreements with the regime. Senator Biden lambasted Bush for politicising foreign policy and believes that the only casualty was America's standing abroad, not Obama's at home. For Biden, the comments were part of a tactic to discredit options not pursued by Bush, options which might have avoided the strengthening of Iran and Hezbollah; Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan; and the increasing lack of stability in the Middle East. If we don't talk with countries like Iran, Biden said, there are only two other options - maintenance of the status quo, or war. Neither of these are really acceptable.
Biden made three last major points.
We must eschew two of the Bush Administrations favourite policies if we are to see progress in the region. First there should be no preconditions for talks with Iran. How are we to negotiate on the major issues if we unrealistically demand that they concede on them before we even start? Secondly the idea of regime change must be rejected. Iraq has proven the ineffectiveness of this tactic (not to mention many more examples throughout America's cold war history, Europe's colonial past etc.). Biden made the case that by hanging this threat over countries like Iran we drive them to seek powerful weapons and regional influence in order to make such an American initiative more difficult. A large element of Bush's rationale for staying in Iraq is that withdrawal would allow a resurgence of Al-Qaeda activity and Iranian influence in the country and embolden the former in Afghanistan. Biden actually believes the opposite. Withdrawal should cause both to lose support over ordinary Iraqis and the latter over the Iraqi government. Furthermore, America will be able to strengthen its activities in Afghanistan, pushing more troops and resources into the battle against a Taliban and Al-Qaeda that lost a major recruiting tool after America left Iraq. Finally, Biden agrees that the risks of drawing down in Iraq are debatable, that it is difficult to know with a degree of certainty what will happen. He is convinced, however, that the costs of staying are undeniable, that if America remains it will spend billions of dollars and give up hundreds and thousands of lives. That is a heavy cost that must not be paid.
America's youth are commonly viewed as apathetic and disengaged from politics (though those involved in Campus Progress know that to be untrue) therefore it comes as pleasant news to hear of a 19 year old college freshman being elected mayor of a sizeable (38K people, the state's 11th biggest) town in Oklahoma. Not only will he continue his studies and seek to fulfill his pledge of open government, he apparently will also become the city commander were martial law ever to be declared.
Myself and Campus Progress' own Shereen just attended a screening of Nanette Burstein's "American Teen", a documentary following the senior years of a few Indiana high-schoolers. A longer article may follow so I'll hold my tongue for now, I just wanted to say go and see it, it's great!
(though it isn't released until mid July, which in recommendation terms is an age away)
There is widespread support in Congress and across the country for new legislation to deal with the increasingly apparent problem of anthropogenic climate change and global warming. However in the opinion of a new report released today by CAP, waiting for Congress is unnecessary because the U.S. already possesses powerful laws which are unfortunately being under-employed in the fight - The Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) - the list is extensive. The latter act, in particular could be better utilised.
NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the likely environmental and social effects of major projects before initiation. Unfortunately, even when this is complied with, the assessment rarely looks at how larger global environmental trends will affect the action over the long term. In an example given by Bill Clinton's Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt, the keynote speaker in an event hosted by CAP to coincide with the report's publication, the Army Corps of Engineers made a major error when planning their Coast 2050 project in Louisiana. The $14 billion endeavour, covering a 10,000 square mile section of the Mississippi delta in Louisiana, ignored the world-wide problem of rising sea levels when making its environmental assessment. According to Mr. Babbitt, 95% of the area is less than 3 ft above sea level and is subsiding (sinking) at an average rate of 1 ft per century. At the time of the assessment, IPCC estimates for the rise in sea levels over the same century were approx. 1 metre (roughly 3 ft). Therefore, over the course of the hundred years most of the area which the Corps would have worked on will end up a foot under water, thus making the project a massive waste.
The CAP report "outline[s] an Executive Order that clarifies what we believe is already a requirement under NEPA — that federal agencies can and should explicitly assess the implications of their actions for greenhouse gas emissions and global warming." It represents an entreaty to the current and future Presidents, a request that they use their executive prerogatives to help apply the existing law properly. Government efficiency, helping the environment - what's not to love?
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