Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Bill could gut GMO ordinance, group says ... Library kids activities get more than the mind in gear ... Ashland City Council keeps way clear for recreational marijuana sales ... Bill could gut GMO ordinance, group says ... Library kids activities get more than the mind in gear ... Ashland City Council keeps way clear for recreational marijuana sales ... COMMENTARY Jeffrey Gillespie: The return of the neocons Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Last week, 47 GOP senators, led by the fledgling Tom Cotton of Arkansas, wrote a letter to Iran. In that letter, they pledged that they would overturn any deal that was made as a result of the current Iranian nuclear negotiations with the United States, just as soon as President Obama ended his second term. Needless to say, the proclamation came within days of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's antagonistic diatribe before a joint session of Congress. The idea of a letter sent by a group of senators in an attempt to influence international affairs is not new. After World War I, during the crafting of the Treaty of Versailles, some 35 senators under the guidance of Henry Cabot Lodge sent a letter to the the key players in those negotiations. Among other things, the senators objected to the creation of a League of Nations, believing it to be antithetical to American interests. As a direct result (and much to the annoyance of President Woodrow Wilson) the United States never joined the league. If those senators had gotten everything they had wanted, there might not be a United Nations as we know it today. When George W. Bush was in the White House, a new and powerful group of anti-internationalist advisers grew in power. The neoconservatives, a group of ultra-ideological Republican operatives who had emerged during the 1970s and 1980s, effectively gained control over much of the foreign policy of the United States. Among their ranks were the two most powerful men in the president's Cabinet, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. Paul Wolfowitz, number 2 at Defense, was a true believer, as was Richard Perle, the warmongering political operative with ties to the Israeli Likud party. The dominance of this radical aspect of the conservative right was a key intellectual influence in the formulation of the 2001 Bush Doctrine, and that stance of preemptive military action led directly to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Twelve years later, we have yet to clean up that mess. Even so, a new wave of neoconservative thought is emerging. The U.S. senators who are seeking to sidestep the U.S.-Iranian diplomatic process (not to mention five other world powers who are participating in the negotiations) have an outlook and tone reminiscent of the pugnacious outliers of the Bush era. Cotton and his club of scribbling dissenters are attempting to undermine a group of state actors who represent not only the interests of the United States and Iran, but also the concerns of over 1.5 billion world citizens. This makes the senators come off as nationalistic and smug, but that's not the main issue. They are showing themselves to be dangerously naive as to the nature and practice of international politics. They are undermining nuclear negotiations that will have a global impact in an attempt to appease a small, chauvinistic aspect of the Republican Party. At what point does domestic political maneuvering trump international diplomacy? The senatorial communique has been roundly criticized by most of the major news agencies in the U.S. and abroad, as well as by many in Washington. There has been talk of treason on the part of the signatories. A petition has been sent to the White House, signed by over 165,000 Americans, requesting the prosecution of the senators involved in drafting the missive. While it is unlikely that the this latest neocon faction will beheld accountable under the Logan Act, they should at least be marginalized by the GOP mainstream before they can gain an additional foothold. Otherwise, one of today's bellicose wingnuts may emerge as the next eminence grise of the Republican Party. We are still digging ourselves out of the smoldering hole created by a political philosophy that birthed the Bush Doctrine. Let's not create space for another one. Jeffrey Gillespie's writing has appeared in the Santa Fean and Art Collector magazines, the Portland Mercury and Willamette Week. He lives in Ashland. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501