Newsaholic

  The Middle Eastern and North African ruling classes have been praising a new era of Arab diplomacy for the last three years.  This perspective, seen in American foreign policy circles, suggests that as the US has declined its presence and commitments to the region, local leaders are finding ways to form international agreements to resolve long-term issues. Recent regional initiatives have been held up as evidence of this newfound diplomatic deftness. The underlying message is that Arabs don't need Western solutions to their crises. The story conveniently ignores how many crises the actors, who are now assuming the role of statesmen, were responsible for.  Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, was responsible for the Yemeni quagmire, which he is now trying to escape by agreeing to terms with the Islamic Republic. Statesmanship is not being shown here, but rather a submission. In Washington, there is a bipartisan consensus that the US should reduce its di...