As is the standard in Washington these days, it turns out that both sides (Democrats and Republicans respectively) were wrong on what happened in Benghazi, Libya. As The New York Times reported today, the attack in Benghazi was neither the work of Al Qaeda nor was it spontaneous in nature.
The former Secretary to the UN, now National Security Adviser, Susan Rice's notorious battery of interviews in which she said that the attack was motivated by a video that insulted Islam turns out to be true according to the report. However, local militias certainly planned and coordinated it as opposed to being a spontaneous event. This incorrect second part speaks to the Administration's (of which Ms. Rice was a spokesperson) misreading of the overall security situation not only in Benghazi but in all of Libya and that is not to be taken lightly. Never mind that it was obvious to the locals that the mission in Benghazi was a CIA outpost instead of a diplomatic U.S. mission - spies exposed are obviously vulnerable, any movie would tell you that.
We're not as apologist as Mr. Gregory in citing early stages and fog-of-war reasons for getting the information wrong because it puts into question the validity and trustworthiness of the statements, but there is a disparity between the time it takes to get the information correct and when it needs to be delivered. The Administration had to speak before it had all the facts.
On the other hand, House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) sat in the studio contesting the report's investigated conclusion that Al Qaeda was not involved in the attack. We did not expect Mr. Issa to reverse his position after holding extensive hearing on the matter of whether the terrorist organization was behind the attack that occurred on September 11th, 2012, in which he concluded before the hearings were even held that they were responsible, the video played no part and that there was a cover-up at the highest level of government - opinions that he maintained this morning.
"No chance" were the words that David Kirkpatrick, who reported the story for The Times, used for the claim that Al Qaeda was involved, but Mr. Issa seems to only want to see the select facts that support his interpreted conclusion, and this morning dismissing the report as after-the-fact and therefore not accurate. Not to dishonor the memory of those who died in Benghazi, but Mr. Issa's partisanship is so blind that when the date of September 11th is uttered, he immediately thinks 2012 instead of 2001. That's not to say that the date was coincidental, but more like convenient. Benghazi should have never been a partisan issue, but he contributed to it being one more than anyone else. We agree with Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) that Mr. Issa created an unnecessary distraction for a year, but he shouldn't have used the word 'crusade' to describe Mr. Issa's position. Of all words, it perpetuates our cultural insensitivity to Islam. Not realizing the historical significance of that word for Muslims speaks to the underestimation of the reaction to a video that insults Islam, something Mr. Issa said the Administration used as a talking point.
It was a local terrorist attack on a poorly disguised and defended CIA outpost, but not an Al Qaeda one as Mr. Issa has claimed. This is a clear illustration of both sides acting of the consequences of political prosecution instead of what they should have done which was simply get to the bottom of what happened and to make sure it didn't repeat itself.
Professor of History at George Mason University, Dr.
Peter Stearns called Washington's political paralysis an embarrassment to the United States around the world. Well, so is the way our political leaders handled what happened in Benghazi, more concerned with political blame than the fact that 4 Americans died. It's speaks definitively to the round table's discussion about the 'state of the world' in 2014 and the position of the United States.
Despite all the in-fighting, the United States is in relatively good economic shape comparatively to many other countries, and this is what the U.S. should leverage more for influence. That along with robust diplomacy is the boldness that the panel was referring to. As other countries advance, Robin Wright mentioned Brazil and Iran, they'll want a say in a more and more integrated world economy that's why in the long game, it's smart to engage Iran. Image 10 to 15 years from now, Iran potentially being a reliable market for American products.
However, where the U.S. falls short with Iranian diplomacy is not thinking more regionally, and what we mean is also openly discussing Iran's proxy army called Hezbollah and the funding for it. That would be bold diplomacy, something we believe Secretary Kerry is capable of. Let's face it, if Hezbollah weren't involved in the Syrian civil war, there would be a lot more clarity on a quicker outcome.
The Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Elliott Abrams, said the U.S. is receding in the Middle East and it would seem that way with the Saudis and Egyptians becoming more and more indifferent toward U.S. relations. However, we see it more of a regrouping while changing strategy in the region. For the past decade-plus, we've been lighting it up militarily and where has it gotten us? Beside, what have the Saudis given the United States lately? Some would answer, 15 of 19.
But that's not the answer, the Saudis have given the U.S. the leverage to get everyone to the table. Should the U.S. trust the Saudis; perhaps not but they also shouldn't let the alliance drift and instead use it diplomatically to achieve first a civil coexistence in the region before you can even discuss sustained peace.
The issue of income inequality not only in the U.S. but throughout the world will become an even bigger issue in 2014 than it started to be this year. In The New York Times Benghazi article, there is even mention that the attack was also motivated, be it a small part, by the reluctance of American business investment. Economic opportunity or the lack thereof plays at the core of tragedy and it took Pope Francis to bring it front and center.
The other issue that will continue to grow in stature in terms of global debate will be surveillance. Ben Wizner of the American Civil Liberties Union who also serves as Edward Snowden's legal advisor pointed out the one for sure thing that Mr. Snowden got right, which was that he brought the American people into the conversation; it's how he 'won.' Also, Mr. Wizner made the important distinction between the Constitutionality of surveilling one American versus all of them, which we should all keep in mind.
Despite what Justice William Pauley of the U.S. District Court ruled, it's clear to a majority of Americans that the NSA has run amok, and something has to be done to curtail unchecked surveillance power.
With all this talk about being down economically and big brother continually looking over your shoulder, we're optimist for 2014 because we are in fact collectively more in the know about these major issues and having more information about something always leads to a positive.
Happy New Year
Round Table: Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson; NBC News Chief Foreign
Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell; Council on Foreign Relations
Senior Fellow Elliott Abrams; Woodrow Wilson Center Senior Fellow Robin
Wright; Provost and Professor of History at George Mason University, Dr.
Peter Stearns
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