Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Chas Freeman on U.S. Grand Strategy Failures in the Middle East

Former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and President Emeritus of the Middle East Policy Council, Chas Freeman spoke there four weeks ago. He's a realist, which makes him unpopular in Washington D.C, particularly among those who are often called "Israel- Firsters."
Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr. (Former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Former President, MEPC) argues that the state of Israel craves land more than peace and that the U.S. de facto abandonment of the two-state solution is a boon for settlement expansion and harmful to U.S. influence in the region. He asserts that U.S. support for Israel, combined with anti-Islamism and growing use of drones, precludes a U.S. grand strategy in the Middle East.  
From the Middle East Policy Council's 71st Capitol Hill Conference, "U.S. Grand Strategy in the Middle East: Is there One?" This event was held January 16, 2013, in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. Full video and an unedited transcript can be found at www.mepc.org.

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