Republicans trying to appease public on unpopular Iraq policy after Congressional losses
CAIRO: The resignation of US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld after the Democratic sweep to power in both houses of the Congress – the House of Representatives and the Senate – signals a change in American policy towards Iraq and more positive outlook for the region according to experts.
“Iraq is a military failure and Rumsfeld is responsible for this, Amr Ghamry, a political expert on American affairs told The Daily Star Egypt.
“American foreign policy has undergone drastic changes recently, gravitating towards pre-emptive strikes and forcible hegemony of the Middle East. This strategy has brought great losses and the Democrats have major reservations on these foreign policies.
In light of the election loss, the Republican Party now wants to cut its losses and Rumsfeld’s resignation is testament to that.
“His departure is due to the Republican failure in Congress as a result of the Iraqi problem, Ghamry said, “and with the 2008 presidential elections on the horizon, if Iraq is still a problem, the Republican failure will be even bigger.
Rumsfeld’s departure may also herald an increase in military cooperation between the Egyptian and American armies, Ghamry told The Daily Star Egypt.
“Regardless of whether they agreed or disagreed on certain aspects of foreign policy, military dealings between Egypt and the US did not vary. However this wasn’t the case under Rumsfeld due to his pro-Israeli stance as a member of the neo-conservative coterie.
Before the election losses, there had been increasing calls, even from within the Pentagon, for Rumsfeld’s resignation, yet US President George Bush refused to acknowledge the failure of his policy in the war-torn country.
However, after the sweeping victory of the Democratic Party in both the House and the Senate, a policy shift in Iraq was bound to come, as even the American president admitted recently.
With the House and Senate under Democratic control, there is a chance for Egypt to strengthen its ties with the United States, according to Hassan Bakr, professor of political studies at Assuit University.
Bakr told The Daily Star Egypt, “The Democrats will ask Egypt for help in their policy shift towards the region. They will ask Egypt to form an Arab front with other nations to pacify the situation in the region.
He foresees this policy shift in spite of the influence the Israeli lobby in Washington wields within the Democratic Party, according to Bakr. He added that the Democrats do not want more war and certainly will not initiate a new one.
Bakr said that if the anti-Iraqi war front is pacified by Rumsfeld’s departure, this might have a positive effect on the Middle East, as the Democrats will try to appease the situation there. This however, Bakr states, “Does not mean the end of the US presence in Iraq. However it might mean a “reduction or redistribution of troops on the ground.
Rumsfeld’s resignation is a turning point in the history of the Bush administration, according to Bakr, citing that the Iraq war is what led to the heavy Republican losses in the recent elections.
“The war means nothing to Americans but something that takes their money and the lives of their kids, Bakr said.
“[Bush’s] landmark mistake is Iraq. Bush wants to now appease the anti-Iraq brigade by making Rumsfeld resign because he started a war with no exit strategy.
