AS LONG AS TRUMP IS PRESIDENT, KUSHNER WILL BE IN CHARGE OF MIDDLE EAST ISSUES

…Jared Kushner is probably the most inexperienced presidential adviser in US history

Experienced diplomats are calling the Kushner and Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) duo a “match made in heaven”. 

It is becoming apparent why the president’s inexperienced son-in-law, to whom the president has assigned the task of solving the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, is failing at his assignment.  This is a very difficult job that has stymied every experienced presidential administration since President Jimmy Carter convinced Egypt and Israel to shake hands.

Most of us have come to say that the comments from the US president on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, are both inhuman and ghastly insufficient.  To not be seriously upset with the calculated killing of a US resident and a reporter of the Washington Post’s Global Opinions section, is totally disgusting.

Mr. Kushner really showed his ignorance when he said the following about what has occurred regarding the Khashoggi killing.  Vanity Fair’s Gab Sherman had reported the following:  “The most determined backstage voice pushing to not upend the relationship [with Saudi Arabia] is that of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has made the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) a central individual in his yet-to-be-seen Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. Speaking at a CNN forum, Kushner just waved away a question about the shifting explanations Saudi Arabia has offered about Khashoggi’s disappearance and apparent murder. “I see things that are deceptive every day. I see them in the Middle East, I see them in Washington—and so, again, I think that we have to keep our eyes wide open.”

When asked, the White House declined to comment on Kushner’s statements.

So, this is all Kushner has to say about the murder of a US resident and free-press reporter inside a foreign consulate in Turkey.

Jared Kushner is as inexperienced in diplomacy and foreign affairs as is the Crown Prince MBS is, in running his kingdom.  This is why some experienced diplomats are calling the Kushner and MBS a “match made in heaven”.  This is what happens when a president gives an undeserving, arrogant, inexperienced, young man responsibilities that are far beyond his knowledge and skills.  It’s also a reminder as to how bad the Saudis erred in letting the 32 year old Crown Prince seize the reins of Saudi power.

As a real estate developer, Kushner has stupidly determined that the decades long conflict between Arabs and Israelis is essentially a real-estate problem and a deal to be worked out.  Like his father-in-law, Kushner fell prey to the flattery from whomever he faced in dealing with Saudi Arabia.  MBS has convinced Kushner that making the Saudis the Trump administration’s surrogate would work out for the US, Israel and the Palestinians.  Jared has basically ingested every foolish idea from MBS about dealing with the Middle East.

As a real estate developer, Kushner has stupidly determined that the decades long conflict between Arabs and Israelis is essentially a real-estate problem and a deal to be worked out.  Like his father-in-law, Kushner fell prey to the flattery from whomever he faced in dealing with Saudi Arabia.  MBS has convinced Kushner that making the Saudis the Trump administration’s surrogate would work out for the US, Israel and the Palestinians.  Jared has basically ingested every foolish idea from MBS about dealing with the Middle East.

As a result, Kushner convinced the president to engage in what can only be described as the worst bargaining deal in recent history.  It’s even worse than when President Barack Obama recognized Cuba with no promises from Cuba on human rights.  In some ways, Kushner followed even worse directions than those of previous US administrations. “Kushner’s Deals” were to give the other side whatever they wanted.  That being, selling arms to Saudi Arabia, and moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, in exchange for absolutely nothing. 

The Saudi’s are saying: “Hey, this guy is a sucker. We can do whatever we please.”

The leaders of Israel and Saudi Arabia, that being Mohammed bin Salman and Benjamin Netanyahu, they have given Trump what he most craves: ingratiating flattery and total support. On substance, however, they have done nothing to reciprocate unilateral Trump concessions such as the embassy move and continued US support for Saudi’s devastating bombing and starving of neighboring Yemen.

Fatefully, MBS has perceived that he has Kushner wrapped around his finger and he has confidently set out to increase his repressive approach in his own kingdom.  This action from MBS eventually resulted in the apparent killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

The irony of all this is that US conservatives, with varying degrees of justification, had previously accused the Obama team of not driving hard enough bargains on foreign policy.

But the Trump-Kushner team has done even worse, by giving our middle eastern ally a pass on their major human rights violations, and by allowing our other allies to run wild. This is coming from a president who is always accusing our allies of taking advantage of us. Well, now they are, and Trump is doing nothing about it.

Putting together a viable foreign policy, while at the same time trying to avoid US commitments to the middle eastern region, that will not be easy.  Kushner’s efforts to offer minimalist sanctions will not work, and judging from his willingness to give up and just dump the problem into Congress’s lap, the White House knows that’s the case, but they are stuck, as this is the president’s son-in-law.

Ain’t nepotism great!

Hopefully, the Saudis will not escape unscathed if Congress eventually has its way, and the young menace Kushner, who has arguably made the Middle East more unstable and less amenable to US leadership, he should go. And in reality, MBS should go as well. 

But that won’t happen in either case.

As long as Trump is president, nothing positive will surely happen regarding Jared Kushner, MBS or the Middle East..

Copyright G. Ater  2018