What we hear from EU leaders is plenty of talk of values and the rule of law. But it seems that these “traditions” are only applicable on certain ad hoc basis; in other words baseless. Now I am a big supporter of the EU project but I see many weaknesses / inconsistencies that need to fixed for the EU to become not just an Economic project but also in terms of Foreign Policy and Security. Here is my 2 point take on this situation in brief;
- The Middle East is a hot cookie and has become even more dangerous since the Trump misadministration took power in 2016, where signing off on policy was as simple as a child scribbling on a piece of paper as if that’s sufficient for the job to be done. The reality however is that the Middle East is one tough nut to crack and unless it is properly handled the reverberation of conflicts reaches far/wide and we see it in our security and our shores. Therefore it is NOT prudent to import foreign conflicts into our own political eco system and begin dealing with them as if we are one of the fighting factions; this is actually what I tried to preach when as member in the UK Liberal Democrats I shockingly discovered amazement/amusement internal factions within the party one pro state X and one pro authority Y, so I asked where the hell do we see Britain’s interest in all of this. Rather what we should be doing is putting some firm/well balanced parameters of conduct and pressuring parties to abide by them =>>> based on our value system and our national security requirements particularly that we played/continue playing a role in further destabilizing region either through action or inaction. Political lobbying tactics on issues of national security and national values should not be allowed to stand.
- I am absolutely no supporter of Iranian tactics in the Middle East but conflicts and legal challenges are resolved through negotiations or courts NOT extrajudicial murders / assassinations. If we are against such tactics let’s make a point/take action and if we support such tactics let’s level the playing fields and be honest about it – being mute is a disgrace and only demonstrates nothing but weakness. My own opinion is that Iran is not getting a fair deal in its relation with the west despite the fact that we know negotiations with Iran do produce results. That said I am not at all surprised by the current U.S misadministration non-response to this incident; I just hope the new incoming administration applies some balance to the situation until it takes charge in January before things escalate further with the current unstable child in the White House.
Finally let me just say this; however hard the Middle East conflicts are they need to be resolved one way or another because it is one region that has a habit of biting us back from the behind when we ignore it.
Hope this helps.