The Center for American Progress (CAP) and the Century Foundation, two liberal Washington think tanks, jointly hosted a day-long conference on American foreign policy today, inviting several journalists, experts, and former officials to speak about America in the world. The event focused heavily on U.S. policy in the Middle East, with the first two speakers, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and Senator Gordon Smith (Republican from Oregon), warning that the United States, despite the failures of the Bush administration's Iraq policy, cannot shy away from its “liberal internationalist” role in the world. Albright surprised some in the crowd by calling vigorously for Arab democracy, once shouting that she wanted to see “militants” of Arab democracy “on the march.” Albright said “if Arab democracy develops, it will advance Arab interests” and “help soften attitudes on Israel.” Smith focused his speech on Iran. He said the United States needs to be “unified” against the Iranian threat, and “all options must be on the table” for Washington to maneuver through this crisis. The senator also lightly rapped the media's coverage of the Bush administration's approach to Iran, saying that it has been “eager” to portray the administration as being divided between those who would like to attack the Islamic Republic and those who believe doing so would be counter productive. Smith promoted a hawkish policy on Iran, bringing attention to the various human rights abuses made by the Islamic Republic and the “regional arms race” it has kicked off as justification for “getting tough” and “keeping the pressure on.” Otherwise, he said, the Iranians will continue to foment anti-Western uprising in a dangerous region “with Israel in the middle.” Following Smith's speech, Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Adviser to President Jimmy Carter, characteristically ripped the Bush administration's neoconservative foreign policy doctrine, saying it has put the United States in a huge hole with respect to dealing with Iran. He said that the United States should propose that the “entire Middle East” be made into a “nuclear-free zone, including Israel.” This way, he said, the U.S. and Israel could gain negotiating leverage with the Iranians, as, should the Iranians refuse, the veneer of legitimacy they claim for obtaining nuclear power—to defend against an Israeli attack—would disappear.
