What we are witnessing in Lebanon today is direct result of a non-existent Middle East policy in America. The US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, wrings his hands and pleads ‘who will we negotiate with?’ a tantamount admission that the US have finally lost any ability to influence events in the Middle East at any level.

They have no policy towards Iran with which they continually refuse to negotiate, the same applies with Syria as they dump them together with Iraq in President Bush’s ‘Axis of Evil’ rant now taken up by Prime Minister of Israel Olmert in Lebanon.

After insisting that the Palestinians go to the polls President Bush and his cohorts so misread the situation that when Hamas was returned, they didn’t know how to respond. They have no influence or standing with either Hamas or the Palestinian people.

And finally, though President Bush supported Lebanon in insisting that Syrian troops withdraw from the country he has lost what influence and goodwill he had established with Lebanon and the Lebanese by refusing to allow any resolution of a cease fire to go through the Security Council and was reduced to pleading with Israel to somehow conduct their self declared war while minimizing the political fallout on the Lebanese government!

It is extremely hard to recognize the USA today as a power of anything but its own imagination which it mistakes as a foreign policy.

Where one might accept Israel’s right to return its captured soldiers in Lebanon what one sees it doing there appears to absolutely ignore or further jeopardise their fate as Israel deliberately targets civilians and civilian infrastructure, a war crime under the Geneva Convention.

Prime Minister Olmert should be brought to justice for what he and his army, navy and air force are doing in Lebanon or at the very least Israel should face the same sanctions as Iraq did for its use of WMD against civilians but I’m not holding my breath as I watch Lebenese die and an impotent and incapable USA standing on the sidelines.

drooge

America does have a policy towards the Middle East (including Israel and Iran) but it just happens to be secret.

It is not public shuttle diplomacy - Kissinger, Clinton, Carter or Jesse Jackson saying nice things. Its the kind of realpolitik that is unpalatable to the public but advantageous for the Bush Administration.

It appears the main US policy at the moment is to build a case utilising Israel's offensive in Lebanon to "prove" that Iran is a threat to "world peace" and should therefore be bombed (by the US, Israel and maybe UK) in an upcoming "surprise" attack.

Israel may also goad Syria into action therefore permitting the US to "publicly prove" that Syria is also a peace threat.

The political benefits of the Middle East crisis to the Republicans (in the November 2006 "midterm" elections) and then bombing Iran (before the November 2008 Presidential elections) are obvious - in a crisis rally to those already in power.

Bush truely appreciates the political groundwork Israel is doing.

Bombing Iran will also meet the US/Israeli objective of postponing Iran's nuclear buildup which coincides with Australian interests in postponing Middle Eastern regional nuclear war.

Just because its not public doesn't mean it ain't there.

For more see http://spyingbadthings.blogspot.com/2006/07/lebanon-israel-iran-and-us-policy.html

Pete

I am not the Liberal Party's spokesman on industrial relations. I am a private practitioner who practises mainly in industrial relations.

Leigh, if John Howard is a pinko leftie, you must be a Nazi.

Condi is finally going to the middle east with the message that Israel has the right to defend herself as a sovereign state. By that reckoning the US and Israel have the right to defend themselves but Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan don't.

Is that the sort of world we want to live in? White supremacy rules? Christianity rules? Sounds much like a 13th century crusade to me.

Watching the Lehrer news though on SBS it is clear that the US civilians are as cynical as the Australian civilians who heard the same crap rhetoric from the "leaders" about Iraq.

It's amazing though looking at the pictures from southern Beirut - Israel has turned it into Kabul in 10 short days.

And not one of the Armchair type either.

Jeez we agree again Irfan.

Tonight I have e-mailed all my local Representatives in the Federal sphere asking why they are not raging against the Israeli aggression in Lebanon.

I think we should all just quietly do that or similar.

Marilyn Shepherd asks: "Is that the sort of world we want to live in? White supremacy rules? Christianity rules? Sounds much like a 13th century crusade to me."

For your information Ms Shepherd most Israelis are Jews, not Christians, or haven't you twigged to that.

As for the TV pictures from southern Beirut, I wonder what pictures would look like from those areas in Darfur that have been devastated by the Arab militias backed by the Khartoum regime. Of course it wouldn't have been safe for Western TV crews or their hangers-on to have gone there at the height of the conflict, would it?

It always amazes me that those who bray about peace are never, ever concerned about what happens to non-whites in Africa. Especially when that violence is carried about by Islamic regimes.