Powell’s failed visit diminishes US influence in Middle East
Secretary of State Colin Powell’s failed diplomatic mission to the Middle East has diminished American power and prestige in the region.
The Arab world is taking note of the famed former four-star general who crushed Saddam Hussein. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was the first Arab leader to snub, saying he was too “indisposed” or “ill” to meet with Powell.
Arafat’s information minister called Powell’s meeting with the Palestinian leader a “disaster.”
“Even with European allies,” the Washington Post reports, “the inability of the United States to have its demands met could have a cost.”
A commentary in the Jerusalem Post said Powell was “grasping at straws,” adding, “Locally, the result of Powell’s failed mission is likely to be a resurgence of violence and terrorism. . . . Regionally, the impact of Powell’s failure will, perhaps, prove far more damaging to U.S. interests, suggesting both a weakening of American influence and an embarrassing inability to impose its will. This is a blow to American prestige, and it could not have come at a more inopportune time for a Bush administration busy making preparations for an assault on Baghdad.”
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