Washington DC – August 14, 2009 (Farid Ghadry Blog) – Every American administration lauds its ability to use the “carrots and sticks” policy as it demonstrates the breadth it has to extract or reward concessions using either one at any one time.
During the Bush era, both were used but the timing was always off. When Bush needed to be tough on Syria, he jelly-fished.
During the Obama administration so far, only carrots have been used. Its timing will be judged by its success and based on the positive response it gets from this policy. However, this administration has yet to use the sticks to demonstrate its resolve.
It is easier to talk about a policy than to apply one and unless the Obama administration demonstrates quickly its resolve to use the sticks, it will face a multitude of problems from Syria and Iran in the next few months.
Both dictators believe the American administration is too soft and burning with desire for peaceful resolutions of any kind that it forgets the competency it has to conclude peace through raw power backed by a powerful and determined nation.
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