From the Associated Press comes Pace Tries to Ease Iraq Concerns:
ISTANBUL, Turkey – In the troubled region surrounding Iraq, a frequent question posed to the top U.S. military officer visiting the area was not when his troops will pull out of Iraq, but how long they will stay.
From the glittery King’s palace in Saudi Arabia to the devastated slopes of the Pakistani mountainside and a staid Turkish symposium, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sought last week to ease concerns about whether opposition to the war at home could pressure American forces to leave Iraq before it is stable.
"I think it’s fair to say that in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, there is a clear desire for the U.S. to stay with it until the job is done – which, coincidentally, is how we look at it," Pace said Sunday as he left Istanbul for Washington.
On his first diplomatic-oriented trip since last fall, Pace traveled to three countries whose leaders are worried about the U.S. commitment to the Iraq war and the global war on terror. Failure to secure Iraq could fuel insurgencies in their countries and instability in the region, where terrorism is a familiar threat.
I wish I had the time to analyze the news for word usage and framing in the context of the military doing "diplomacy" and related terms. Official DoD news releases do not use the word "diplomacy" or "diplomatic" but do use other key phrases normally associated with State.
- Pace said that he “did more listening than talking” during the
meetings. Still, he was able to answer questions from his counterparts
on U.S. government policy on Syria, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. "It
made for a full and open dialogue," he said….In Turkey, Pace said he tried "to solidify the superb relationship"
between the two countries. "I looked them in the eye and told them the
truth," he said….The chairman said his visits built on previous ones by other government
officials, and said further visits will build on his progress. "We have
to keep the dialogue open so you have ample opportunity to answer the
questions before the questions become confusion," Pace said. - Good governance, economic development, and education are more important
in ultimately choking off terrorism than military might, Pace said at
the symposium, which is sponsored by the Turkish General Staff. There
is a role for the military in providing security, but economic programs
that create jobs will be the long-term solution to terrorism, he said.
"Once we have security in place, the other elements of national power
will be the keys to the long-term victory in the war on terror," he
said…."Good education systems that do not teach hate, but tolerance of
various religions, ideas and principles" will also help defeat
terrorism, Pace said. "How can any country reach its full potential if
it does not include various sectors of its people, whether it be for
religious purposes, or color of skin or for any other reason, like
gender?" he said.
Where is Condi and her State Department?