Dennis Ross : Empty Benches (or the lack of US statecraft)

Empty Benches -- New Republic Online
I have had the priviledge to spend some time with Dennis Ross, and it is a tragedy that you can't find anyone like him in the upper reaches of the Bush administration today. This administration simply does not know what "statecraft" in diplomacy is. As Dennis stated in this article, "Statecraft is about concepts and implementation. It is about recognizing what is needed and fashioning plans that can actually be carried out. I am afraid the benchmark plan -- designed to affect the grim day-to-day realities and their potential for escalation -- suffers from what we have all too often seen with the Bush administration: an attempt to get by on the cheap. Rather than working out (indeed grinding out) with both sides specific agreements as to what will be done, by whom, when, and with what consequences for non-performance, the administration has simply produced a new roadmap."

I highly urge that you all order Dennis' new book "Statecraft: And How to Restore America's Standing in the World".