US policy circles do not seem competent to understand Pakistan
At this point in time, I'd largely agree with this. Suffice it to say, one of the problems of democracy in the US is that any foreign policy initiatives are weighed in relation to any administration's total policy agenda, and its ability to get that administration's policy priorities through Congress. Priorities which are usually domestic.
The public foreign policy debate in America is miserable, though there is much very good work being done just beneath the surface. (With plenty of free material available on the net) As long as policy debate stays out of the MSM, where the rhetoric quickly devolves into saber-rattling and American-style-democratic proliferation, then there may be hope.
As for putting qualified diplomats out there into the field, I have thoughts on that which I'll be sharing in another diary post soon.
Regarding Livni, I cannot speak to the merits of the essay, though I found the Middle-Israel bloc notion interesting and thought I'd share it. I simply don't know enough about her or domestic Israeli politics. I'm working on that. "It Can't Be Just About Us"--Frank Schnittger, ETian Extraordinaire
Livni is a bit of an enigma at this moment, but in part that's because the politics of the situation is very dynamic. I guess we'll find out more in the next month or so.
