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Transformational Diplomacy
a Muslim Brotherhood takeover of Egypt was not the intended outcome
Eric LaMont Gregory
Rice delivers 'Transformational Diplomacy' speech
18 January 2006 at Georgetown University
18 January 2006 at Georgetown University
Secretary of State Rice stated that the September 11, 2001 attacks, were rooted in oppression and despair, and therefore, the US should advance democratic reform and support basic rights throughout the greater Middle East.
To do so Rice envisioned the US cooperating with our 'partners around the world' and build and sustain democratic, well-governed states, that would respond to the needs of their people and conduct themselves responsibly in the international system.
The Muslim Brotherhood, has taken control in Egypt and will in all likeihood emerge as a dominat player in a post Assad Syria, hardly the ingedients for a well-governed state that will respond to anything other than the spiritual needs of their people. The rights of women are not going to be advanced.
Lybia hangs in the balance, Mali has been overthrown with weapons and fighters returning from the 'revolution' in Lybia, the newly emerged North and South Sudan are again a very troubled region. The first state to tumble, Tunisia, is not a settled case by any means, and their neighbors have all seen increased unrest and low level, but continuous and escalating violence.
The US Fifth Fleet is armed to the teeth in and around the Straight of Hormuz, and Israel and Iran are on a collision course. Iraq is a battleground steadily slipping into all out civil war.
Our military leaders saw things differently, and requested that the State Department be more active in the years-long war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. Secretary Rice retorted "We will not meet the challenges of the 21st century through military or any other means alone. Our national security requires the integration of our
universal principles with all elements of our national power: our defense, our diplomacy, our development assistance, our democracy promotion efforts, free trade, and the good work of our private sector and society. And it is the State Department, more than any other agency of government, that is called to lead this work."
However, Rice by the time she returned to Georgetown University in February of 2008, less than a year before the end of her term as Secretary, to speak on 'transformational diplomacy' appears to have embraced much of the thinking of what is now the operative State/Military doctrine of the United States, that is, the concept of 'smart diplomacy.'
'Smart Diplomacy' is defined by the Center for Strategic and International Studies as "an approach that underscores the necessity of a strong military, but also invests heavily in alliances, partnerships, and institutions of all levels to expand American influence and establish legitimacy of American action." In short the military doctrine that suggests that the State Department is an integral part of our military has become predominant.
Smart diplomacy emerged during the Clinton administration and is the working doctrine of our current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
To do so Rice envisioned the US cooperating with our 'partners around the world' and build and sustain democratic, well-governed states, that would respond to the needs of their people and conduct themselves responsibly in the international system.
The Muslim Brotherhood, has taken control in Egypt and will in all likeihood emerge as a dominat player in a post Assad Syria, hardly the ingedients for a well-governed state that will respond to anything other than the spiritual needs of their people. The rights of women are not going to be advanced.
Lybia hangs in the balance, Mali has been overthrown with weapons and fighters returning from the 'revolution' in Lybia, the newly emerged North and South Sudan are again a very troubled region. The first state to tumble, Tunisia, is not a settled case by any means, and their neighbors have all seen increased unrest and low level, but continuous and escalating violence.
The US Fifth Fleet is armed to the teeth in and around the Straight of Hormuz, and Israel and Iran are on a collision course. Iraq is a battleground steadily slipping into all out civil war.
Our military leaders saw things differently, and requested that the State Department be more active in the years-long war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. Secretary Rice retorted "We will not meet the challenges of the 21st century through military or any other means alone. Our national security requires the integration of our
universal principles with all elements of our national power: our defense, our diplomacy, our development assistance, our democracy promotion efforts, free trade, and the good work of our private sector and society. And it is the State Department, more than any other agency of government, that is called to lead this work."
However, Rice by the time she returned to Georgetown University in February of 2008, less than a year before the end of her term as Secretary, to speak on 'transformational diplomacy' appears to have embraced much of the thinking of what is now the operative State/Military doctrine of the United States, that is, the concept of 'smart diplomacy.'
'Smart Diplomacy' is defined by the Center for Strategic and International Studies as "an approach that underscores the necessity of a strong military, but also invests heavily in alliances, partnerships, and institutions of all levels to expand American influence and establish legitimacy of American action." In short the military doctrine that suggests that the State Department is an integral part of our military has become predominant.
Smart diplomacy emerged during the Clinton administration and is the working doctrine of our current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
