Where Are the Grownups? It’s Time for Congress to Step Up
By Roger Huddle Read bio
June 21, 2017
The confused response to the Qatari crisis is just the latest warning that a depleted executive branch needs foreign-policy help.
On Tuesday, the State Department released a statement saying it was “mystified” by the lack of evidence from Persian Gulf states regarding “Qatar’s alleged support for terrorism” — the pretext for the Saudi led-effort to cut off Doha diplomatically and economically. Many foreign-policy observers might confess to being mystified as well — by the contradictory responses from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who has called for reducing tensions, and his boss Donald Trump, who has used tweets and other public statements to support the Saudi line and bash Qatar. The Qataris themselves no doubt wonder why the president would attack a country that hosts a crucial U.S. military base and enables backchannel negotiations throughout the Arab world.
http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2017/06/where-are-grownups-its-time-congress-step/138848/?oref=d-river
