Republican Foreign-Policy Player Counsels Caution in Egypt, Syria
Brent Scowcroft, a veteran Republican voice on US foreign policy, said the US “isn’t smart enough” to solve the Syria crisis and that intervening in Egypt "will create more problems in the long run” in an interview with Al-Monitor's Barbara Slavin, indirectly criticizing hawkish advisers to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Brent Scowcroft, a veteran Republican voice on US foreign policy, said the United States “isn’t smart enough” to solve the Syria crisis and “would pay a heavy price for [military] intervention,” in an interview with Al-Monitor Washington correspondent Barbara Slavin. Scowcroft, national security adviser to former US presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, criticized hawkish advisers to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney regarding Syria and Iran, without naming names. Known for his pragmatism, he also urged caution in dealing with Egypt, flexibility in Iran nuclear talks and an arms control process to regulate the use of cyber warfare. Excerpts from the interview follow:
Al-Monitor: The constitutional court ruled today that one-third of Egypt’s parliament was not properly elected and there are presidential elections coming up. Is there anything the US can do to shape what is going on there or do we just have to be bystanders?
