When Condoleezza Rice Ran US Foreign Policy
By Dr Syed Amir
Bethesda, MD
The late Libyan leader, Muammar Qaddafi, had a strange fascination with the former US Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice. In September 2008, at the end of her official visit to Tripoli, the first by an American Secretary of State since 1953, he showered her with a variety of expensive gifts, estimated value $212,225, that included a diamond ring in a wooden box, a lute and a locket with his own picture inside, besides an autographed copy of his infamous green book. Alas, little did he know that none of these items could enrich her jewelry box, but instead would become the property of the US Government, as do all gifts received from foreign dignitaries.
In her newly published, voluminous memoir, No Higher Honor, Rice relates some interesting details of her meeting with Colonel Qaddafi. It was the fasting month when she came to Libya on official business. The Brother Leader, as Qaddafi liked to be called, invited her to join him for dinner in his personal kitchen, but without her security detail. Subsequently, Rice recorded her impression of Qaddafi as someone “who lived inside his own head, in a kind of alternate reality”. His tragic end in October seems to have substantiated Rice’s analysis of his personality traits.
The first African-American and female US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, was born in 1954 in the segregated southern state of Alabama and experienced the effects of racial discrimination first hand. She earned her PhD in International Relations and served as the first black-female Provost of Stanford University in California. She was appointed the National Security Advisor in the first Bush administration and, following the resignation of Colin Powell, was elevated to the position of Secretary of State. Rice has authored several books previously, and her special area of expertise is the Soviet Union. Her current book, however, does not include any details of her family history or life before joining the Bush administration as these subjects were covered in her earlier books.
Her tenure in the Bush administration, especially as the National Security Advisor, was fraught with controversy, with former Vice President, Dick Cheney, characterizing her in his memoirs as naïve in the conduct of foreign policy. He claimed that once she tearfully confessed in his office that she was wrong in urging President Bush to apologize for some of his misinformed statements made to justify the Iraqi war. She, however, denies that she ever cried in his office. The chemistry and relationship between her and the Vice President as well as the Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, was undoubtedly adversarial. These tensions are reflected at various places in the book, especially as Rice felt that Rumsfeld belittled her role as National Security Advisor and paid scant attention to her presentations at official meetings. Apparently, only her easy access and closeness to President Bush saved her job.
Her account of the hours and days following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington is both poignant and powerful, providing some idea of how much fear and nervousness had gripped the country. With all airports and travel shut down, the White House itself perceived to be under threat of terrorist attack, the business of the US Government had came to a virtual standstill.
The events of 9/11 modulated the US policy related to Pakistan. Rice reveals some interesting behind the scene maneuver designed to reduce tensions between Presidents Musharraf and Karzai. A particularly contentious confrontation between the two leaders took place in September 2006 at a private White House dinner. It started amicably, with Pakistani president providing a brief presentation on the peace agreement he had recently signed with tribal chiefs in North Waziristan. Karzai, however, strongly objected, claiming that he had the document to prove that Pakistan had reassured the Taliban that their position would not be disturbed. They argued stridently, and it got so bad that others at the table felt uncomfortable. When the dinner ended, everyone drew a sigh of relief. Karzai, Rice commented, proved to be a brilliant protagonist, while Musharraf came across as someone unfamiliar with the details of his own agreement.
In 2007, Pakistan was undergoing one of its periodic political upheavals. As the public agitation against Musharraf escalated, the Bush White House kept a wary eye on the unfolding events. Informed by Ann Peterson, the American Ambassador, that a declaration of emergency was imminent, Rice made several hurried calls in the middle of the night to Musharraf. Finally, he succumbed and emergency declaration was forestalled, at least temporarily. Rice noted that both President Bush and Vice-President Cheney had been unwavering in their support of the Pakistani president, for they regarded him critical to the success of their war efforts in Afghanistan.
The book goes into great details of the planning of the invasion of Iraq in early 2003, rationalized by flawed and fabricated intelligence. None of these details, however, are new or revealing. As we know, the decade-long war proved to be a disaster, casting at least 4,500 American and well over 100,000 Iraqi lives, besides one trillion dollars in money. Rice was one of the most ardent and articulate exponents of the administration’s policies in support of the invasion. She continued to be so even when it became clear that no weapons of mass destruction existed. Nevertheless, she expresses no regrets or afterthoughts on the role she played in promoting the war.
Overall, the book is well written and, despite its length, is fascinating to read. It showcases the stark contrast between the operational styles of the current Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice. Clinton has a strong personality and undoubtedly much of the direction and tempo of current US foreign policy is set and orchestrated by her. However, it is inconceivable that Rice would have expressed strong views on issues, passionately disagreed with the president or advocated a strategy not favored by him. She repeatedly touts her closeness to and influence on the president, and it seems that as Secretary of State she loyally advanced and implemented his policies and political agenda.
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