The first test of a foreign policy's coherence is whether its actions and declarations meet the standard of elementary logic. There is abundant evidence that American policies in the Middle East fail that test. Let us look at several examples of manifest contradiction that will provide the basis for specifying what are the requirements for achieving greater coherence. CONTRADICTION 1 The primary objective of the United States' engagements in the region is to blunt the drive of ISIL and eventually to eliminate it. This has been stated repeatedly by President Obama. Success depends on a multi-pronged strategy that includes a political and ideological dimension as well as a military one. There...
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