Biden vs Palin On The Middle East

By: Meir Javedanfar

04/10/2008

One headline said that the recent VP debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin did not produce any “knockouts.”

It may be so, when it comes to their discussions of US affairs.

However, when it comes to their view points regarding the Middle East, I believe that there was a knockout and the winner was Joe Biden.

First and foremost, while clearly and correctly pointing out the dangers of a nuclear Iran, Biden also stressed that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not the strongest man in Iran. In other words, he would not be in charge of launching a nuclear attack, if and when Iran gets its hands on a bomb. This is a very important point which the press in the US does not mention.

This is in contrast to Sarah Palin who said Ahmadinejad is not a sane or stable person. Ahmadinejad is a radical person. But, as someone who wrote a book on the man, and studied his life, policies and speeches, I think its inaccurate to say that he is insane. She also did not offer anything new in terms of addressing the Iranian nuclear program and the issues surrounding it, whereas Biden backed Kissinger’s calls for talks with Iran as a new way to address the current deadlock. This is a US gesture which would seriously undermine the conservatives in Tehran.

Biden’s other important accomplishment was to mention and emphasise the Pakistani danger. The American public should be aware that Pakistan is a very unstable country. It is a nuclear state where Al Qaeda has penetrated its secret service, and controls access points to a 3 million strong city such as Peshawar. And if Governor Palin is looking for an insane leader, she would do better by looking at Pakistan, whose leader Zardari was declared mentally unfit to stand trial by a British court last year. Biden’s calls to increase more troops and funding in Afghanistan is a far more credible and effective way to fight terrorism than Palin’s focus on Iraq.

It was very reassuring to hear that both candidates are dedicated to the two-State solution of Israel and Palestine, living side by side. Joe Biden and Sarah Palin were both almost blushing when they talked about their fondness for Israel. I don’t know of many Jews and Israelis who are not pleased to see such open statements of support. This message of support from a friendly country came at the right time, as Israelis feel flabbergasted and hurt by Ahmadinejad’s hateful speech at the UN.

What also needs to be noted is the fact that lack of constructive criticism of Israel in the US is counter-productive. Terrorism must stop as the first step towards peace. That is the right foot to start with. But the left foot which should follow, is the halt to construction in the occupied territories. Expanding settlements, as Israel has been doing recently, is contrary to its long term security goals and Israel’s credibility in the Middle East, especially with pro Western countries such as Jordan and Egypt. It also helps the battle cries of extremist groups. The US has not objected to Israel in any meaningful manner to the recent expansions. It should, and it is likely that the Democrats are the only ones who would do so, while maintaining the special relationship between the two countries.

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