Yesterday Susan Rice got into a bit of a catfight with the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations. Rice came out and declared that the United States would "seek an end to Iran's ambition to acquire an illicit nuclear capacity and its support for terrorism." The Iranian ambassador, Mohammad Khazee, fired back, saying Rice was employing "the same tired, unwarranted and groundless allegations that used to be unjustifiably and futilely repeated by the previous U.S. administration."
Now Ben Smith reports that the Obama administration is pulling out of Durban II, also known as the United Nations Zionism is Racism Conference. When the State Department initially announced its intention to participate in the planning stages of that conference, despite calls for a boycott from Israel and Canada, a spokesman explained that American attendance was "in line with [the new administration's] commitment to diplomacy," and that American diplomats intended to "change the direction in which the review conference is heading."
It's clear now -- even to the Obama administration -- that diplomacy can't achieve the impossible, in this case convincing the U.N. that Zionism isn't inherently racist. I'd prefer to wait until the second or third year of the Obama administration to get truly conspiratorial, but the timing of the announcement also feels like some kind of sop to those who were troubled by the appointment of Chas Freeman.
Either way, the Obama administration has not impressed with its diplomacy so far. We lost a critical base in Kyrgyzstan, Rice is getting into unhelpful and unproductive squabbles at the UN, and attempts to redirect Durban II were a complete bust. It's early yet, but Obama has failed to secure any advantage for the United States through diplomacy or through his mere ascension to power -- something many of his supporters prattled on about during the campaign. Are there even rumblings of more NATO troops to Afghanistan? Is there any sign that the Iranians are looking for an opening? The Russians have only become more hostile. When can we expect to start seeing the returns on our new diplomacy-friendly foreign policy?
