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Confusion has returned to the White House and US Foreign Policy. The years of Hillary Clinton at State, one could read the tea leaves of an incoherent US Foreign Policy and a Presidency that lost its way. As soon as John Kerry was nominated, a fresh wind was blowing through the State Department and it showed in policy adjustments. Kerry meant to reach goals, get to work and get things done. With the political appointment of Susan Rice as National Security advisor, Obama made a major mistake and it’s already making its mark. On all major issues Russia, Syria and Middle-East peace talks, Kerry and Rice don’t see eye to eye. Will John Kerry survive the meddling of Susan Rice in his foreign policy agenda? If Kerry sees his actions and talks thwarted by Ms. Rice, he’ll put Obama for a choice: her or me! The sooner the better. Knowing the high level of self-confidence by the president, he will attempt damage control but will let John Kerry go “for personal family matters.” See the removal of Donilan, Morell and the political appointments of his personal advisors to key positions. The decisionmaking happens in the Oval Office and nowhere else. Micromanagement is not the way to succeed on policymaking and achievements in the second term. I will be watching and counting …
How Susan Rice’s Appointment Will Affect White House Foreign Policy Decisons
Rice and Kerry at times have worked closely together. But on some important policy areas they do not see eye to eye.
Kerry has spent his first months in Foggy Bottom working to repair the U.S.-Russia relationship and use that as a mechanism to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria. Kerry believes he has a close personal friendship with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Rice, by contrast has traded public insults with her Russian counterpart at the U.N.
Regarding Syria specifically, administration officials and other close supporters of the White House say Rice in internal meetings has supported a no-fly zone for Syria. But the incoming national security adviser is also wary of arming the more liberal elements of Syria’s opposition.
“Susan is not for arming the rebels, but she leans in on the no fly zone,” said one outside adviser to the White House on foreign policy.
Kerry has voiced several views in recent years on arming the Syrian rebels, but recently he has indicated that Obama would lift his objections to sending such lethal aid to Syria’s opposition if Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, boycotts an upcoming peace conference in Geneva that Kerry has worked with the Russians to arrange.
“There will be some conflict at some point between Kerry, [Secretary of Defense Chuck] Hagel, and Rice. They all come from very different worldviews and different backgrounds,” this source said.
For Rice, who got her start during the Clinton administration and was seared by the world’s inaction in the face of the Rwandan genocide, her worldview in some ways hews closely with liberal internationalism, or a belief that American power can be used to promote American values through multi-lateral institutions like the United Nations.
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President Obama freezes relationship with Russia’s Putin at a most crucial moment in his presidency. Key foreign policy issues are at stake on Syria, ME peace talks, Iran uranium enrichment, and START negotiations. Obama thinks he is tough? Does he lend his ear to new assistent Susan Rice? This will be an embarassment to John Kerry who is doing an immense job to gain achievements on a broad range of issues. Who is responsible to send McCain and Graham on a fool’s errand? This effort was counterproductive to the stance taken by Kerry a few days earlier. The promise by Obama to work closely with Putin during his second term can be put on ice … return of cold war dogma. Putin will not take this snub lightly, it will be personal. Putin could send Medvedev to the G20 summit and avoid meeting Obama fully. Putin was not willing to offer whistleblower Snowden to the pyre of DC mania in the US. I’ll give Putin credit for that. [Not for many troubling domestic issues within Russia, which would have been a better argument – Oui]
Cross-posted from European Tribune – Obama Snubs Putin Over Snowden.
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This would be Obama’s decision, let’s see if the White House [read Susan Rice] overrules the planned 2+2 meeting this week between Kerry, Hagel and their Russian counterparts. Kerry has build a good relationship with FM Lavrov, will Kerry be snubbed too?
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Would you say that the reset with Russia is now over?
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Saudi charities funding terror groups like Al Nusra Front in Syria, haven’t we learned our lessons from Afghanistan, Al Qaeda and the 9/11 attacks? Why won’t the Saudis flood the market by pumping extra oil and hitting the Russians in their wealth?