Nobody asked me, but. . .

Posted By Stephen M. Walt Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 2:26 PM Share

On the NYT op-ed page today, a bevy of experts reveal what they would ask Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton at her confirmation hearings and offer up a potpourri of interesting questions. Here's what I'd like someone to ask her:

Given the priority that President-elect Obama has placed on achieving Israeli-Palestianian peace, is it true that you intend to appoint a Middle East team whose principal members failed to achieve this goal during the eight years of your husband's administration, and whose objectivity and even-handness has been questioned by key actors in the region and by their own prior associates here at home? Wouldn't U.S., Israeli, and Palestinian interests be better served by appointing a new and more diverse team that enjoyed greater credibility?

EXPLORE:MIDDLE EAST, ISRAEL/PALESTINE, OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

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THORSPROVONI

2:48 PM ET

January 13, 2009

The presence of Jewish

The presence of Jewish Zionists on the Foreign Policy team is a concern, but isn't there a bigger problem with the Economic Policy team? See Why Is Rubin Advising Obama?.

SCUBASTEVESW

4:55 PM ET

January 13, 2009

Diverse Mid East Team

Roger Cohen had a good op-ed in the NYTimes yesterday about this very topic: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/12/opinion/12cohen.html

GRAND SEN-OR

7:35 PM ET

January 13, 2009

Good question Stephen, well

Good question Stephen, well done!

Grand Sen~or

SCOTT WEDMAN

9:07 PM ET

January 13, 2009

What about realism

Professor Walt, if this is going to be a blog about realism and not about your opinion about Israel, could you list some questions for Senator Clinton that are unrelated to the Middle East? I think that would help everyone see where you are coming from on a more global scale.

KALAMANDO

9:14 AM ET

January 22, 2009

Prsdnt Dwight David Eisenhower Foriegn Policy TEAM was FEARLES

34th US President IKE suspended AID TO ISRAEL

“Ike” = Dwight David Eisenhower American general & the 34th President of the United States (1953-1961). As far as WAR & PEACE issues; IKE had the richest experience of all US presidents!
In WWII he was the commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force (1943-1945) he launched the invasion of Normandy (June 6, 1944) and oversaw the final defeat of Germany (1945).
Ike cared about the STRATEGIC WELL BEING of Israel because HE was aware that the creation of Israel was the ultimate answer to European anti-Anti-Semitism.
On October 31, 1956 Ike’s presidency was marked by SUSPENSION OF US AID to ISRAEL in protest at its invasion of Egypt in the Suez Crisis.
In an emergency session of the United Nations (UN) November 1-2 1956 General Assembly was called to consider the Suez Crisis. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE John Foster DULLES, ATTACKED the British–French–Israeli ACTION, and the Assembly votes for a cease-fire!
Britain & France complied promptly, but ISRAEL did not; until January 22, 1957 when Israeli forces completed their withdrawal.