European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 26, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday october 26, 1994 commentary the stars and stripes Page 13 Clinton showing his in foreign affairs Stephen s. Rosenfeld this has to be the autumn of Bill Clinton a foreign policy Content the season when this share of his responsibilities turned from debit to credit on the great political scoreboard those keeping is Washington a prime daily care. He has newly in hand an agreement with communist North Korea that even in the judgment of those who lament some or its terms cracks a nut that had defied previous administrations and materially advances the american purpose of curbing a world class nuclear threat. In a second difficult High profile Case spun off by George Bush a a president widely acknowledged As -. A foreign policy Whiz a Clinton adroitly and muscular Ray faced Down an ominous probe from Saddam Hussein and did so with no shots being fired and to untoward concessions being made. In a third such Bush hand me Down Clinton delivered on a Promise to put Haiti a democratically elected president Back in Haiti and did it with a quiet uncontested military intervention. Meanwhile a comprehensive Middle East peace process that was George Bush a original creation produced on Clinton Swatch yet another Bloom a a formal peace Accord Between Israel and Jordan while work goes on to draw in Syria. A Irish peace process to which Clinton has Lent fresh american impetus also produced a further fruit a protestant gunmen matched Catholic gunmen in putting Down their  deflated for a while with a refugee agreement a still looming political crisis arising from the Castro endgame in Cuba. The Rescue of Rwanda and the revival of South Africa Are further items in the endless global housekeeping that Falls to a great Power. You could say All these projects Are still tentative and could collapse explode or whatever. But when you throw in the results in the administration for eign political priority of moving Russia to a new plane and also in its foreign economic priority of Market opening and some other stuff then you have to give Clinton a Good bit More deference in this policy area than he a received so far. No wonder that he is about to move the location of his midterm election campaigning from at Home to abroad. No wonder that Rai Birds like the economists Daniel Franklin Are starting to suggest that a president whose Domestic touch has turned Leaden May be tempted in his third and fourth years to go for the International Gold. There is a telling thing about the political Thermal up draft that Clinton has recently caught. It undercuts the familiar consensus critique of his foreign policy As unsteady in execution and tactics on one level and bereft of a a vision and a Strate gym on another. Lets face it. The loss of the cold War discipline enforced by the great Powers has left a world of unstructured pieces inherently resistant to any imposed order. Maybe what we need right now is not an overarching vision a not a plan a but adaptability a Little respect for the historical newness and complexity of our situation a Little patience while we do sensible things and argue and rally a consensus for the next stage. We will miss some openings but avoid some errors and meanwhile pursue a even As we strive to define a our National interests. Few doubt that cries for american leadership in the world mean less for most americans than Calls for attention to concerns at Home nonetheless others should note that the great debate on Post cold War policy is pretty much Over. Internationalism won isolationism lost. Not the old internationalism but a new sort that keeps America engaged in the world though with certain limits. This is what you get when you connect up the dots of what Bill Clinton and George Bush before him have actually done. Clinton a background and personality make him vulnerable to the internationalist elites barbs. But no More than Many other areas of policy is foreign policy rocket science it requires Atten lion but not career immersion. Clinton has begun to show signs that his practice is taking. With More of the Luck he s enjoyed in the last few weeks he could yet learn to like it. C Washington pos state department fawns on iranian leaders overshadowed by the crisis on the iraqi kuwaiti Border and the american troop buildup there Are much More serious developments in neighbouring Iran. The former is easily countered the latter has potentially fatal Long term consequences. Making matters worse is the fact that while president Clinton has acted swiftly and decisively to face Down Saddam Hussein his own state department is undercutting his moral authority in the Region by pursuing a cowardly appeasement policy toward Iran. In words that Britain a Neville Chamberlain who attempted to Curry favor with Adolf Hitler on the eve of world War ii would have found familiar the state department is once again Toa dying up to dictators this time the Radical mullahs who Rule Iran. A the United states is not really trying to overthrow the iranian regime a said Robert Pelletreau the assistant Secretary of state for near Eastern affairs during his testimony before Congress in March. A we believe the iranian regime is a permanent feature.�?�. Later during a sept. 13 voice of America broadcast to Iran Pelletreau was quoted As saying a we believe the islamic revolution in Iran is deeply rooted and the present ruling regime am its political decisions Are also deeply  Pelletreau emphasized that a the . Agrees with dialogue with Iran an open and acceptable  among those a deeply rooted political decisions noted the new York times on sept. 26 Are the ruling regimes a clamor for the death of the novelist Salman Rushdie and its plausible link a with the murder of iranian dissidents in France Switzerland Turkey and  As the editorial went on to say in August a month before Pelletreau a Praise presi Dent Clinton called the iranian regime a the worlds leading sponsor of state sponsored  a Ana Clinton was not alone. A it has been Over 15 years since the Shah was toppled a Cia director James Woolsey told the Washington Institute for near East policy in a sept. 23 address. A the record since 1979 of iranian behaviour a to its own people and abroad a is appalling. At Home repression violence and terror. Abroad efforts to undermine the states in the persian Gulf to derail the peace process and to support Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations and groups operating today from Algeria to Tajikistan. A the iranian government. Does everything within its Power to strengthen the hand of extremist forces to increase the carnage and to upset any Progress toward political reconciliation a Woolsey continued. A a Iran a most important client lebanese Hezbollah has killed More americans than any other terrorist group and re chives support training and arms from  linking Iran with Iraq Woolsey said they both pose a significant threat to . Interests in the Middle East. A a their two regimes Are United in their. Willingness to use terrorism in their efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction and their desire to eliminate any outside Powers which could thwart their  has been particularly Active in trying to Purchase nuclear materials or technology clandestinely Harry g. Summers from russian  Woolsey swords were echoed by the outgoing . Navy commander in the persian Gulf vice adm. Douglas j. Katz who warned that a the threat from Iran is certainly  these concerns Are reflected at the highest Levels. As the Wall Street journal noted on sept. 28, a the Issue of russian sales of arms to Iran a Moscow has sold Tehran about $1 billion Worth of submarines tanks and missiles for air planes during the past year a was specifically raised by Clinton during his Summit with russian president Boris Yeltsin last month. By giving the . Imprimatur to the iranian mullahs As the spokesmen for a islamic fundamentalism a Pelletreau has not Only contradicted Clinton a Public pronouncements but has also betrayed our Arab allies into the hands of their enemies. A it is our friends in the islamic world a Woolsey pointed out a who Are most at risk from the Challenge of islamic political extremism. Those in the islamic Community who advocate coexistence and cooperation with the West Are those the extremists most desperately wish to  you would think that the assistant Secretary of state for near Eastern affairs would know that. But Pelletreau would appear oblivious to the fundamentals of his office. As has been said about other recent state department fiascos a this would have never happened if Warren Christopher Vas alive.�?�. C los Angeles times