[Peace-discuss] Obama adds another hack

[C. G. Estabrook]

[I spoke too soon -- in speculating about a possible diplomatic revolution in 
the Mideast -- when I said that Obama had avoided employing the awful pro-Israel 
hack Dennis Ross.  Maybe this was the (internal) USG price for appointing former 
ambassador to Saudi Arabia Charles W. Freeman to head the National Intelligence 
Council.  --CGE]

	Ross joins Obama team in Iran-related capacity
	By Ron Kampeas · February 23, 2009

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Dennis Ross joined the Obama administration in a 
coordinating role on policy regarding Iran and its neighbors.

Ross was named special adviser to the secretary of state for the Gulf and 
Southwest Asia.

"This is a region in which America is fighting two wars and facing challenges of 
ongoing conflict, terror, proliferation, access to energy, economic development 
and strengthening democracy and the rule of law," said a statement late Monday 
from Robert Wood, the spokesman for Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. 
"In this area, we must strive to build support for U.S. goals and policies. To 
be successful, we will need to be able to integrate our policy development and 
implementation across a broad range of offices and senior officials in the State 
Department, and in his role as Special Advisor to the Secretary, Ambassador Ross 
will be asked to play that role."

The geographical designations and the reference to "two wars" suggest that Ross 
will focus on Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan -- but not necessarily on Israel-area 
crises, his area of expertise when he was top Middle East negotiator in the 
first Bush and the Clinton administrations.

President Obama already appointed former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell as an envoy 
to the Israel-related Middle East peace process.

Ross, the statement said, "will provide to the Secretary and senior State 
Department officials strategic advice and perspective on the region; offer 
assessments and also act to ensure effective policy integration throughout the 
region; coordinate with senior officials in the development and formulation of 
new policy approaches; and participate, at the request of the Secretary, in 
inter-agency activities related to the region."

During the campaign, Ross outlined what he said was a "sticks-then-carrots" 
approach to engaging Iran: rallying the international community to tighten 
sanctions before offering incentives to have the Islamic Republic stand down 
from its suspected nuclear weapons program.

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