NY Times: Sadly, U.S. Reverts to 'My-Way-Or-the-Highway Approach' on Israel

July 28th, 2006 1:37 PM

Blame the U.S. for a lack of diplomacy in its support of Israel is the theme of Friday’s “news analysis” by reporter Helene Cooper, “2 Steps Back: Rice’s Careful Diplomacy Falters Under Renewed Assertiveness by the U.S.

Along the way, Cooper states as fact the usual misleading clichés about Bush’s “go-it-alone approach” to diplomacy and war.

“For the past year, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has worked assiduously to resurrect the importance of traditional diplomacy and building consensus among world leaders after America’s go-it-alone approach to Iraq.”

(On Tuesday, Times reporter Mark Mazzetti made the same claim: "Some cite this as a case where the unintended consequences of the go-it-alone approach to foreign policy that Washington took after the Sept. 11 attacks affected the larger American efforts to combat terrorism.")

That's despite the 30 allies in the U.S.-led coalition that have participated in the Iraq War.

“[Rice] has managed to hold together a fragile coalition of countries seeking to curb Iran’s nuclear program by offering to end America’s three-decade-long refusal to talk to Tehran if it suspends its uranium-enrichment program. And she has a similar coalition holding together on North Korea’s nuclear efforts.

“But in the space of one hour in Rome on Wednesday, the public rewards of that hard work -- the view around the world that the United States may now be more willing to play nice with others -- may have been undone. Once again, it seemed, the United States had reverted to its my-way-or-the-highway approach, and Ms. Rice was on the defensive."

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