R. Nicholas Burns: U.S. foreign policy extremely complex

Sunday morning’s keynote address on “American Policy and the Arab Revolutions” featured R. Nicholas Burns, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.

Burns, a professor at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, stressed his respect for President Obama and explained the difficult foreign policy balance that he must maintain.

“Obama is trying to juggle two competing American interests,” Burns said. “On one hand, he is continuing the great tradition of our foreign policy to support people beyond our shores who want to struggle for freedom and democracy ... and trying to uphold what is the essence of American foreign policy: democratic policy. On the other hand, the U.S. has a history of [playing] a role in the Middle East and Obama need[s] to secure the security interests of the U.S.”

Burns cited the contrast of the U.S. support of the Egyptian uprising in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, but the lack of support of the protesters in Bahrain’s Pearl Square, as an example. He explained that while it appears the U.S. is acting hypocritically in its support for democratic uprisings, it is in the country’s best interest due to the complex conflict in the Middle East.

“Many people thought that it was a hopeful time for the Arab people,” Burns said. “We need to keep that image because when you think about our time now, we’re really looking at a burning Middle East — there’s really no way else to put it.”

With the possible exception of Morocco and Tunisia, Burns said, very few of the 22 countries in the Middle East are better off today in terms of stability than they were three years ago.

Burns also spoke about the situations in Syria and Iran, and what is currently unfolding in Ukraine. Active American leadership is needed in Syria against President Bashar al-Assad and his regime’s use of chemical weaponry, Burns said.

“We can’t be the world’s policeman, but when 9.3 million of the 22.4 million people in Syria are refugees, it’s everyone’s concern,” Burns said. “It’s a problem that the U.S. needs to turn and face.”

Burns also complimented Obama for his work toward an interim nuclear agreement with Iran, the first diplomatic talks between the two nations in 34 years.

“Our first impulse has to be diplomacy, not the use of force,” Burns said. “We need to exhaust the use of diplomacy.”

With regard to the unfolding situation in Ukraine, Burns said that it would be irrational for the U.S. to employ military force against Putin, especially because America has no security commitment to Ukraine.

“It would be catastrophic — it would be a war of two nuclear powers,” he said. “There will be not a military counterpunch to Putin’s land grab in Crimea.”

However, he suggested that economic sanctions would likely be employed and that Obama should not attend the G8 summit scheduled to take place in June in Sochi.

“It’s time to expel Russia from the G8,” Burns said. “We can’t have a country there who is abusing sovereignty and territorial integrity of the other countries.”