Lugar Lobs Sense Into Resolution Debate

Senator Richard Lugar’s op-ed in today’s Washington Post displays the deep knowledge, common sense, vision and responsibility that has earned him such wide respect in foreign policy circles.

Senator Lugar leaps over the divide, observing “the debate on Iraq policy has reached new levels of stridency.” Lugar keeps his eye on strategic adjustment. Indeed, Lugar perceives that’s really what the president’s plan is, the beginning of a strategic adjustment that by its very nature cannot be presented as such.

The debates across and within lines over the various Senate resolutions essentially come down to a few points.

The president’s plan is not presented as strategic, a significant change in mission and mobilization to achieve ends. It is more operational or even tactical, adjustments of place and techniques. As such, opponents of the mission are not persuaded, as they pursue abandonment regardless of consequences, and supporters of the mission are not sufficiently encouraged, as sufficient resources are not committed.

Therefore, for most proponents the resolutions are seen as the beginning of forcing withdrawals. For some, the milder resolution is seen as an expression of no confidence. In either case, however, the only immediate beneficiaries are those seeking political points or cover and foes who clearly see encouragement to last us out.

Lugar presents the strategic adjustment:

We are not in Iraq to defend territory or even to destroy an enemy. Rather, we are pursuing the amorphous task of coaxing out of the Iraqi people and government political decisions that will result in a democratic, pluralistic society that is conducive to regional stability.

While the emergence of such a government and society is still worth pursuing, we must recognize that it is an optimal goal. It should not be the focal point of our Middle East policy or the sole measure of success in Iraq.

We need to recast the geo-strategic reference points of our Iraq policy….

Lugar continues:

The president's plan is an early episode in a much broader Middle East realignment that began with our invasion of Iraq and that may not end for years. Nations throughout the Middle East are scrambling to find their footing as regional power balances shift in unpredictable ways.

At the center of this realignment is Iran, which is perceived to have emerged from our Iraq intervention as the big winner. We paved the way for a Shiite government in Iraq that is much friendlier to Iran than was Saddam Hussein. Bolstered by high oil revenue, Iran has meddled in Iraq, rigidly pursued a nuclear capability, and funded Hezbollah and Hamas.

But the pendulum of Middle East politics may be swinging back against Iranian assertiveness. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Gulf states and others have become increasingly alarmed by Iran's behavior and by widening regional sectarian divisions. Because of this dynamic, U.S. bargaining power in the Middle East is growing. Moderate Arab states understand that the United States is an indispensable counterweight to Iran.

This opens up opportunities for solidifying our broader strategic objectives, and it offers a backup option in Iraq….

Lugar, then offers practical, affordable, doable specifics of redeploying and exerting assets in unified mission for a stabilized or tolerable Mideast, ending on this note:

The administration must avoid becoming so quixotic in its attempt to achieve the optimal outcome in Iraq that it fails to adjust to shifts in the region or political realities within Iraq. Although any administration would be reluctant to talk about a Plan B when its primary plan is still in motion, the president and Congress must reach a consensus on how to protect our broader strategic interests regardless of what happens in those Baghdad neighborhoods or on the floor of the Senate. Otherwise, the fatigue and frustration with our Iraq policy that is manifest in the resolutions of disapproval before the Senate could lead not just to the rejection of the Bush plan but also to the abandonment of the tools and relationships we need to defend our vital interests in the Middle East.

More senators need to stop flapping their lips and start listening to Lugar.