Hagel’s Difficult Path
Why do you think confirming Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense took so long in Congress and will this relative acceptance cause problems for Hagel in the future?
Following Obama’s victory in the election, the Republicans showed no willingness to cooperate with him and do not want Obama to set up his desired team in the new cabinet. The same process took place in the case of John Kerry. Obama’s first choice for the State Department was Susan Rice, but after the scenarios played out by the Republican representatives, Obama selected John Kerry. Obama attempted to choose his team based on US national interests but was confronted with the Republicans’ anger. The situation became more complicated for Chuck Hagel, because he was Republican and, considering his record of positions taken against the Republicans, the disagreements ran deeper. Of course, Hagel’s views and positions with regard to the role of Israel’s lobby in the US and his interpretation of how to interact with the issue of Iran and the role of US leadership in the global arena cannot be ignored. Meanwhile, there has been unity between the AIPAC lobby and the Republicans which made voting very difficult. Nevertheless, considering the level of votes in the Senate, it seems that Hagel has a difficult path ahead of him and they will create problems for him. There is the possibility that he will be summoned to the Senate committees on any given issue.
How do you evaluate Chuck Hagel’s plans for the Defense Department?
Chuck Hagel must follow Obama’s program. This would be a combination of the results of the professional and expert work of the Department of Defense and Obama’s new goals. Considering his previous responsibilities, Hagel was completely in contact with Obama and they are familiar with each other’s views. Last year, in an interview, I stated for the first time that the US would move from the Atlantic to the Pacific and make its army smaller but more efficient. It will pursue its superior position in military technology and will plan for combined goals in on and off wars with new methods. The principle of low costs and using regional allies will have an important place and the US will intelligently divide its responsibilities, but that would not mean that the US would ignore its leadership over the world. Chuck Hagel will take measures along this line.
Considering the fact that the New Year will be a very important year for Iran and it seems that it will also be a determining year for Iran-US relations, how would you predict the positions of the new US Defense Secretary with regard to Iran?
There are numerous variables and not all of them will depend on the nuclear or geopolitical position of the region. We are witnessing gradual but high-speed developments. I mean that gradual would not necessarily mean slow, but rather that these changes will not depend on traditional components and the priorities of Iran and the US will change. These conditions will continue in some areas and, in others, the capacity for detente between both parties is possible. In my opinion, the US must forget the policy of a weak government in Iran and think about new ideas. Iran’s status has always been outstanding in history and the world of Islam and in the Iranian community and the region.
How would you assess the selection of John Brennan as the head of the CIA and his impact on the programs of this organization, particularly with regard to Iran?
It is better if security experts discuss this issue. I think that the plans of any secret organization will certainly remain secret, and if a copy of a plan is published, it is with the aim of propaganda or justification or based on legal matters. In the political dimension, I must say that John Brennan does not have common views with John Kerry with regard to using new technologies especially unmanned planes. John Kerry believes that the US model must be based on issues such as defending democracy and human rights and the American way of life and the US must not be introduced as a monster of robotic and intelligent planes. They are both named John but they are very different from one another.