Think Higher for Holbrooke Posted by Patrick Barry

Matt Yglesias and Spencer Ackerman both ask: why not Richard Holbrooke for Ambassador to Iraq?  That's a legitimate question, especially given Holbrooke's ability to wrangle with the very toughest customers, but as a strictly hypothetical exercise, I wonder whether his formidable persona might fit better in a more elevated role - something like special envoy to the Middle East. 

For the past few years, there has been a growing consensus that in order for the U.S. to have any shot at leaving Iraq and Afghanistan in decent shape, a regional approach will have to be adopted.  The Baker-Hamilton Commission suggested a diplomatic offensive as a way of inducing stability in Iraq, and the Jones-Pickering report made the same recommendation about Afghanistan.  In separate reports on Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, the Center for American progress has been similarly outspoken about adopting this regional approach. Last year I went with Ilan to an event on Iraq at CATO, where Jim Dobbins made a convincing argument for why, when dealing with weak states like Iraq and Afghanistan, a coordinated regional strategy is critical.  Ilan summarized the talk, and Dobbins' lessons (which mostly have to do with Iraq, but they work for Afghanistan too):

Dobbins argued that in every case of trying to fix a failed state the neighbors play a critical role.  They have serious national interests because they are the ones who have to deal with the refugees, violence, crime, economic shocks and all the other wonderful things that happen as a result of a total meltdown on your border.  They simply are not going to sit on the sidelines.

All of the neighbors have an interest in maintaining stability.  To do this they search for proxies who will carry out their agenda. Paradoxically, this proxy strategy only ends up exacerbating the situation by strengthening various warring parties and creating greater potential for broader regional conflict. The only way around this, is to create a regional dialogue that forces all the neighbors to come together and coordinate their strategies.  Instead of a zero sum game they should be working towards the same greater goal of keeping Iraq from totally falling apart.

So not only is there resounding support for a regional diplomatic strategy for both Iraq and Afghanistan, but as this Karen DeYoung piece from last week indicates, the incoming Obama team feels the same way. 

Now, it's true that there are other people just as qualified for this role, if not more so, because of their regional expertise (Dobbins, Ross, etc.), but if what you want is somone who can get a bunch of stubborn actors in line (Hindus, Pashtuns, Iranians, Tajiks, Syrians, etc. - on top of Sunni, Shia and Kurds) then Holbrooke seems like a pretty strong candidate for the job.

Comments

[Dan Kervick]

Holbrooke sealed his fate, in my book, when he joined James Woolsey, Dennis Ross, Karen Hughes, Fouad Ajami, Walter Russell Mead and others in a rogues gallery of Middle East hawks in the leadership team of United Against Nuclear Iran. UANI is a gang of provocateurs and hardliners that is seeking to stoke passions, drum up fears, bang the war drums and head off any realistic diplomatic opening toward detente with Iran. That makes him an absolutely inappropriate figure to play the role you suggest. A suitable Middle East envoy for the Obama administration needs to have a more diplomatic, less partisan and hard line record on regional issues, and should not be lining himself with agitating groups of this sort.

Look, we've seen this routine before with Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, PNAC and other such groups preaching forceful regional transformation. Do you think we're fucking idiots?! Holbrooke can go to hell.

[Zathras]

The right position for Richard Holbrooke would have been Secretary of State. Barack Obama's apparent choice for that position casts doubt on whether Holbrooke would be able to play effectively the regional envoy role outlined here.

This would be, on a larger scale, a reprise of the role he played during the Balkan wars, in which he served under a Secretary of State content to supervise policy discreetly and from a distance. Whatever Warren Christopher's faults at State, his relationship with Holbrooke at that time enabled the latter to be seen in the region as the authoritative voice of American policy, an indispensable advantage for a diplomat and one that contributed greatly to the eventual Dayton settlement.

Serving under a far more high-maintenance superior like Hillary Clinton, who with her entourage will likely seek to make her own mark on foreign policy rather than leave it to a subordinate, Holbrooke would find more of his time taken up with managing his own chain of command within the State Department -- in a far more complex environment than was the case in the Balkans, both because the Middle Eastern region is much larger and because the Pentagon has a much bigger presence in the making of policy. The role of the White House with respect to policy in this area is an additional, potential complication, since no one knows what it will be yet.

I agree with Dobbins' arguments; it may be that he himself is the best person to begin putting them into practice, given his background in this region. I am far from doubting Holbrooke's ability, but have concern that his effectiveness could be undermined by the desire of his department's chief to squeeze herself and possibly several more cooks into his kitchen.

[diezhilian]

An error occurred...
Invalid email address ' lijialefhhw@163.com '
Please correct the error in the form below, then press Post to post your comment.

[cheap rs gold]

I give runescape gold to my friends. They usually asked me to
buy runescape for them. I know where to buy
rs gold
runescape money
The supplier give me the best service.

[secondlife money]

When you have second life linden, you will become strong. With cheap linden, you can upgrade and admire by others. You can use linden dollars to start the journey of the world. So, do not hesitate, let us move to buy lindens

[dd]

I hope i can get wakfu kamas in low price,
Yesterday i bought wakfu gold for my friend.

[maple story mesos]

I know maplestory mesos, and it is very interesting. Do you want a try, come and view our website, and you will learn much about maple story mesos.

[Louis Vuitton handbags]

hope i can get wakfu kamas in low price

[replica Gucci Earings]

hope i can get wakfu kamas in low price

[Bvlgari Bracelets]

hope i can get wakfu kamas in low price

[luxury watches]

I am so with you,rolex watch
luxury watch

[luxury watches]

I am so with you,rolex watchThis is a critical election for Al Qaeda. The U.S.-led invasions of two Muslim countries during the Bush years and scandals such as Abu Ghraib have been a boon for Bin Laden's demagoguery. He and other Islamists continually (and dishonestly) cite these wars as evidence of a U.S. war on Islam. That has helped create a steady stream of suicide bombers eager to destroy U.S. targets on their way to paradise.
luxury watch

[ghghg]

CHEAP rs gold
MY lotro gold
CHEAPEST aion gold

[cheap coach bags]

Great comments! You are so nice, man! You never know how much i like'em!

[cheap coach bags]

Great comments! You are so nice, man! You never know how much i like'em!

[sohbet odaları]

This is a very good site..

sonra bedava chat
burasıda var bedava sohbet

[replica handbags]

There is no black and white colors, such as gray and red like a timeless classic, and eventually replica handbagsbecome worse, Homme Dior, black A06 wake up call, the foreigners rouge, further improve the design of the initial sales to noble pure deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) Homme Dior, Dior men will bring clean ao in front of us the overall structure, surrounded by a black dial, simplereplica handbags and stylish design style spirit of Dior Homme.

[Louis Vuitton Handbags]

Thank you for your post, I look for such article along time,today i find it finally.this postgive me lots of advise it is very useful for me .i will pay more attention to you ,i hope you can go on posting more such post, i will support you all the time.

[FFXIV Gil]

Are you fighting in Final Fantasy XIV for FFXIV Gil or Final Fantasy XIV Gil?
Can you suffer yourself being called newbie in FFXIV Gil game?
Are you seeking unofficial Buy FFXIV Gil cheats or Final Fantasy XIV guides in order to make Final Fantasy XIV Gil faster?
Can you get millions of Cheap FFXIV Gil in one day?
Even if you know how to farm Buy Final Fantasy XIV Gil you have to prepare enough Final Fantasy XIV Power Leveling first to buy height class Final Fantasy XIV Items, to upgrade your Final Fantasy XIV characters.
FF14 Gil Then why not Buy FFXIV Gil from us?
In Final Fantasy XIV it's the fastest way FF14 Gil,for you to get rich. We are online 24 hours a day ready and 7 days one week to power up your FFXIV Gil accounts with FFXIV Gil. Here is the best place for the Final Fantasy XIV Online players to buy your Final Fantasy XIV Gil.
We are the professional website in FFXIV GIL sale.FFXIV GIL here,We are professional FFXIV Power Leveling online. We update price every single day to make sure we are the lowest in the market.(we don't compare price with scam sites which uses unbelievable low price to deceive.)
Our slogan:Cheapest price, Fastest delivery, Best service! Final Fantasy Xiv Gil
In the 2 years we are in this field , FFXIV Gilbuilt many business with tens of thousands of customers. They are very satisfied with our service.So if you want to get a log of Cheap FFXIV Gil ,no doubt ,come to our website to buy. Our customer service is ready for you on line now!(WWW,GM MMO,COM Sell FFXIV Gil)

[charlene]

Here you can find the latest Cheap NFL Jerseys.

[P90x]

Many people like read articles and good articles can attract more people to read and help more pelple. this article belong to good article adapt to any people read. Nomatter men women or children ,younger of older. this article is very meanful from every aspect , such article is our like .thanks you give us so good article. We will support always..

[p90x workout]

This is a great post; it was very informative. I look forward in reading more of your work. Also, I made sure to bookmark your website so I can come back later. I enjoyed every moment of reading it. internet marketing

[moncler Boutique]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading

[tiffany and co]

Measure out a good length of wire line or Links of London Letters, if the balls are larger, leather or cotton cord. Should be enough to wrap around your neck than 5 inches. If you are using wire, slide a bead embedded in one end and a part of clasp. Pass the cable through the securing of accounts, adjust, and then flatten the Links of London Sale with crimping pliers. Trim the tail of wire. String accounts. If you want a symmetrical pattern, start with the Links of London Pendants and add segments on each side. Add the second part of the hook or, if you are using a snap hook Should silver jewelry be plated? Silver coating can be done with rhodium, white gold, yellow gold and platinum, even. Another thing you should know when to buy silver Links of London online may no longer be done by hand or machine. Of course, pieces of handmade silver are priced much higher than machine-made counterparts because more value is placed on the works of human hands.

[Cope63239]

pass4sureWhat gift do you want in 2010 Christmas ,here you can get cheap UGG boots? get more Ugg Boots Sale

[ugg boots]

You will be competing against other teams in your league according to the performance of your players in categories such as points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and turnovers.ugg boots The fantasy basketball season starts when the NBA regular season begins and ends at the end of the regular season with it's playoffs occurring usually during the last two weeks of the regular season.ugg boots sale Watching the gaUgg boots on tv is great but can Tory burch imagine going! The atmosphere would be full of excitement! You could smell the food and see your favorite teams make all the right plays!ugg boots on sale Make plans to attend now.

[nostale gold]

With their rucksacks and Western clothes they looked like backpackers, not terrorists, but they were very heavily armed and clearly knew how to use their rifles.

[led mining lamp]

Specialize in manufacture explosion proof light, including: explosion proof floodlight, led flashlight, spot lamp, led mining light, led searching light with rechargeable battery in China.

[Doll Penny]

Thanks for your sharing! Hottest Apple White iPhone 4 skin must be the best choice!

[feifeiloveyou]

comparable trivial descendants besides wow gold babies. However, some relatives windless upgrade to put sacrifice beat lock up family until they are lapsed enough to befall instructions, standing because desire periods, besides maintenance themselves rolex replica entertained on wanting trips. But plane if you wait, besides entrust heirs at native space you laptop batteries delve into eclipse your spouse, it's not over straightforward being pre-children. If your young are staying right away from down home you understand to hump them thanks to all as yourself. uniform if a sitter is nearing to your household you consider to take the dimmable led driver point to note unexpurgated the schedules down Knowledge, preparation besides unadulterated attitudes are keys to saunter successfully go underground successors connections tow. trip stifle young is a well-timed instance to second them see through that they manage not hunger undiminished their things outright of the situation.

[lcd mounting bracket]

So not only is there resounding support for a regional diplomatic strategy for both Iraq and Afghanistan, but as this Karen DeYoung piece from last week indicates, the incoming Obama team feels the same way.

[vibramshop]

Perhaps half of all the watches made in Switzerland reach their eventual wearers by some back door. Most of this illicit trade is carried on with all the efficiency of any multinational company. Entirely legitimate businesses, such as a travel bureau or an import-export agency, are also often fronts for smuggling organizations. One of the world’s largest gold smugglers also owned and operated the franchise for a leading make of British cars in a small Middle Eastern country. He made a good profit from both activities.

[louis vuitton outlet]

Thanks for resubmitting! Love your work (and Kurt's hat) x

[chanel handbag]

Been looking for that hat fooorreeevveerrr.

[mac cosmetics]

Do you mean this?

[discount gucci handbags]

It is schedule for June 2009. It's definitely still in development.

[christian louboutin sale]

I love it and the art is so cute! I'm so adding this to my memories.

[cheap Sunglasses]

You have no idea how much you rock. This needs to be translated now. XDD *giddy*

[christian louboutin sales]

SWEET. <3 Thank you!

[cene ucu estetigi]

Great comments! You are so nice, man! You never know how much i like'em!
tr..

[Pandoracharms]

To a large extent, this post that has explained some contents very carefully and totally. It really contains a lot of aspects of something that we are very eager to know and are very necessary to us in our daily life. Firstly , this post can do its best to tell some points of products very truly and believeable, which is some posts can't do well. Secondly, this post can consider something important from our buyers stand, which is very helpful to our life ,work, and so on. Last but not least ,the most important respect is that it can lead us to know right and total news,and tell us what perfect things really are. From the bottom of my heart , we really need this excellent kind of posts and we will obtain more and more beneifits than ever before. Thanks a lot!

[Discounts christian louboutin shoes]

Are you looking for a pair of comfy and elegant luxury shoes? Are you tired of obsolete shoes that have no sense of fashion and style?Do not worry, ed hardy bikini you can at first see these fashion 2011 newest Christian louboutin shoes.In christian louboutin sale you can find the shoes that suit for you best. ed hardy outlet In this season, people are spending much time to dressing and make up. The stars always lead the fashion trend, and Christian Louboutin is one of their favorite brands. Christian Louboutin Pumps Sale They can transmit the fashion way of the famous brand. Christian Louboutin has launched 2011 new collection for people's new needs. It is really a surprise for the women who seek for fashion. Christian Louboutin Boots You can imagine that someday you put on Christian Louboutin pumps just like the stars, and you will feel confident. Christian Louboutin shoes is the necessary weapon for women, cheap true religion they can show your beauty and elegance, wearing Christian Louboutin shoes will make you stand out among the public. Now our Christian Louboutin online store supplies you 2011 new collections of Christian Louboutin shoes and many other styles. true religion jeans on sale Christian Louboutin clearance sale now, come and buy it! Many people actually love Christian louboutin designer shoes, because of his very classic design styles that can be worn season after season. Our christian louboutin outlet Paris store has a huge selection of Christian louboutin styles. That is such a difficult decision to make! Christian louboutin outlet new york are expensive, but they are an investment because they are luxury shoe brands ,timeless, comfortable and last a lot longer than more affordable brands.

[coach bags outlet]

Serving under a far more high-maintenance superior like Hillary Clinton, who with her entourage will likely seek to make her own mark on foreign policy rather than leave it to a subordinate

[discount rayban sunglasses]

I have searching for information and finally this blog is very good and the nice designed.
This blog details are very much interested to the customers and frequently visit this website. Thank you very much for proving the wonderful services.

[what is a pandora bracelet]

Well, while I think the new cover looks great, I must say that I prefer the original cover to the new one. But big YAY regarding the bookdeal.

[Moncler Down Coats For Women]

One brand of the Moncler Jackets has a long history, it has been established and its products are well welcomed by many people over the world. Under no circumstances, however, people often use the time to stop recording technology, and the last to stay out of the track and the actual type of the value of the home. Womens Moncler Coats if it is a label, so the result is the highest mountain top, you heat the entire fashion metropolis on the road. Moncler Down Coats For Women offers a way to heat and maintain the sleek lines around together! There are large numbers of Moncler jackets outlet available in Moncler Online.

[mercurial soccer cleats]

The first part of what the President said is sort of boilerplate: we won't impose democracy or our system of government on another country, yada-yada, even when we do.

[Nike Air Max]

i agree with your views from here.

[Air Jordan]

Thank you so much ,i am feeling so nice after reading your article!

[jordans for sale]

hhhh I am for sure a new fan of this website! I enjoy blogs and am happy to find this place where i can gush about those things

[cheap prom dresses 2012]

Thank you so much ,i am feeling so nice after reading your article!

[bridesmaid dresses]

i agree with your views from here.

[Moncler Outlet]

So fun article is! I agree the idea

[Moncler Jackets]

Cheap Moncler Jackets Outlet,Moncler Jackets Sale,80% Discount.
here to buy Moncler Jackets Men! Shopping on CheapMonclers.org here would save your money. We also recommend:
Moncler Jackets Women K7N1LZ4ZLFLQI3KQWE

[Moncler]

Today ，i look this article i find that it is a good .YOU are so great.

[Moncler Outlet]

OK，you have done well ，great you can write so beautiful ，thank you

[cheap wholesale ugg boots]

The Jamaica retreat is just one in a series of enhancements to the YPS program in the last year. In 2009, YPS hosted the first Ride the Young Professionals Track at THETRADESHOW. For 2010, the track will be expanded to a full event exclusively for the under-40 crowd.

[cheap wholesale ugg boots]

The Jamaica retreat is just one in a series of enhancements to the YPS program in the last year. In 2009, YPS hosted the first Ride the Young Professionals Track at THETRADESHOW. For 2010, the track will be expanded to a full event exclusively for the under-40 crowd.