Condoleeza Rice’s Highs and Lows
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James Joyner | Tuesday, November 20, 2007 |
While Condoleeza Rice’s tenure as Secretary of State is, so far as I’m aware, not set to expire for another fourteen months, the AP has nonetheless rolled out a story on Rice’s Highs and Lows.
Interestingly, the listed highs are pretty substantial and the lows seem to be almost entirely happenstance. Among the lows: Getting confirmed only 85-13, Hamas winning an election, Israel invading Lebanon to strike at Hezbollah, and North Korea testing a nuke. What she might have done to prevent those things is far from clear. Among the highs: Starting talks and getting significant agreements in several longstanding conflicts, including the DPRK nuclear situation and the Israel-Palestinian standoff.
Given the remarkably bipartisan nature of our foreign policy (which stands in stark contrast with the polarized nature of our foreign policy debate) it’s quite likely that these events would have all proceeded in much the same fashion under a Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke. Still, it belies the widespread perception of a mismanaged department.
via OTB News
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
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