Highlights from the 2009 FPI Forum: Advancing and Defending Democracy

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At the 2009 Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) Forum earlier today, Senator John McCain said of the Obama administration’s desire that Gen. McChrystal delay his request for additional troops in Afghanistan,  that he has “never seen a disconnect like this” between the military and an administration on an issue. He added, “Every day that goes by if you are not pursuing a strategy for success and implementing it as quickly as possible it puts young Americans lives in more danger." Speaking at the same conference yesterday, Governor Mitt Romney sounded a similar note to Senator McCain’s: "This is not the time for Hamlet in the White House...How in the world can he at this stage be saying what he is saying?"

The conference, entitled “Advancing and Defending Democracy,” featured addresses from former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Governor Mitt Romney, Senator Jon Kyl, and Senator John McCain. The 2009 FPI Forum also included panels on democracy and human rights, Iran, Russia, Iraq, and the political and military dimensions of the war in Afghanistan. Speakers included U.S. and international policy experts, as well as dissidents. For the full conference agenda please visit: www.foreignpolicyi.org/events.

Some participants were less critical of the president’s policy. Michael O’Hanlon, of the Brookings Institution defended Mr. Obama’s right to “at least for a few weeks of deliberation and indecision. If he is still in November where he is today, I will not be defending him. But I think where he is at this moment is understandable."

Speakers also addressed the Obama administration’s recent decision to cancel plans to deploy a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic. Senator Kyl remarked, “It’s hard to imagine any Russian quid pro quo that would be worth compromising the principle that we can support our NATO allies, even in Eastern Europe. It’s even harder to justify our ‘turn about’ if the Obama administration did not negotiate a quid pro quo from the Russians. It’s not apparent that was done.”

Governor Romney, citing the administration’s missile defense policy as well as policies on Israel and Honduras, said, “Our friends around the world are asking: is it better to be a friend of the U.S., or a foe?” In the same vein, Newt Gingrich commented, “The Obama Administration's policy on Honduras is waging war against democracy.”

In talking about the political situation in Iran, Former Obama State Department advisor Ray Takeyh said that there was a “perceptible deflation of hope” within the Obama administration after the “cataclysmic moment” of Iran’s June 12 election. Reuel Gerecht, of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies declared that “engagement is toast.”

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty President Jeffrey Gedmin moderated a discussion with prominent Middle East dissidents Ali Afshari and Saad Eddin Ibrahim [watch on C-SPAN; read the transcript].

Video, a transcript, and other materials from the 2009 FPI Forum will be available in the coming days at www.foreignpolicyi.org.