Reply #28: Clark also suggest what no other does.....

[FrenchieCat]

that we use diplomacy to bring moderate Arab States and Iraq's neigbors to the table. He states that Syria and Iran think that they are next (wonder how they got that impression? :sarcasm: ), and so, of course, they have no interest in seeing a stable Iraq.....

Clark believes that it is up to the US to show goodwill to these countries and to use the old underused art of diplomacy to get them to do what they right now don't want to do--help in building a stable Iraq. But of course, they would need a share in the economic, military and political aspects of things......

Excerpts from his WAPO op-ed "Before it's Too Late"

From the outset of the U.S. post-invasion efforts, we needed a three-pronged strategy: diplomatic, political and military. Iraq sits geographically on the fault line between Shiite and Sunni Islam; for the mission to succeed we will have to be the catalyst for regional cooperation, not regional conflict.

Unfortunately, the administration didn't see the need for a diplomatic track, and its scattershot diplomacy in the region -- threats, grandiose pronouncements and truncated communications -- has been ill-advised and counterproductive. The U.S. diplomatic failure has magnified the difficulties facing the political and military elements of strategy by contributing to the increasing infiltration of jihadists and the surprising resiliency of the insurgency.
snip
Adding a diplomatic track to the strategy is a must. The United States should form a standing conference of Iraq's neighbors, complete with committees dealing with all the regional economic and political issues, including trade, travel, cross-border infrastructure projects and, of course, cutting off the infiltration of jihadists. The United States should tone down its raw rhetoric and instead listen more carefully to the many voices within the region. In addition, a public U.S. declaration forswearing permanent bases in Iraq would be a helpful step in engaging both regional and Iraqi support as we implement our plans.
http://securingamerica.com/node/253