Dennis Ross
Dennis Ross
Dennis B. Rossis an American diplomat and author. He has served as the Director of Policy Planning in the State Department under President George H. W. Bush, the special Middle East coordinator under President Bill Clinton, and was a special adviser for the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asiato the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth26 November 1948
CountryUnited States of America
basically came capability certainly conclusion discount iran iranian israelis prepared themselves
I wouldn't discount the possibility that the Israelis would act if they came to the conclusion that basically the world was prepared to live with Iran with nuclear weapons. They certainly have the capability by themselves to set back the Iranian nuclear program.
consequences
There are consequences if you act militarily, and there's big consequences if you don't act.
act agreed both broader change government honor middle obama period promised return serve time wife work
It has been an honor to work in the Obama Administration and to serve this President, particularly during a period of unprecedented change in the broader Middle East. Obviously, there is still work to do but I promised my wife I would return to government for only two years and we both agreed it is time to act on my promise.
east institute washington
I am the Counselor at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
afford america attachment eastern four gaining inspires iran islamists israel leverage neither nor radical strategic ultimately
It is my Middle Eastern hat and my attachment to Israel that ultimately inspires my support for Obama. I know he understands that neither Israel nor America can afford four more years of Iran and the radical Islamists gaining strategic leverage in the Middle East.
desired element
Force is not inevitable. Diplomacy is still the desired means. Pressure is an element of the means.
act afford communication countries israelis local nuclear potential second simply sorts strike triggers war
You don't have any communication between the Israelis and the Iranians. You have all sorts of local triggers for conflict. Having countries act on a hair trigger - where they can't afford to be second to strike - the potential for a miscalculation or a nuclear war through inadvertence is simply too high.
current enduring labor minister percent polls prime recent standing stands weakness weaknesses
If there were an election today, Netanyahu would win. Yet, his standing in the polls is also a reflection of the weakness of Ehud Olmert, the current prime minister - who stands at 2 percent in a recent poll - and the enduring weaknesses of the Labor Party.
alignment objectives
Successful diplomacy is an alignment of objectives and means.
adopting appears approach changing iranian nuclear public statements taking
AIPAC is taking the public statements seriously. They're alarmed by a nuclear capability, and the administration appears to be adopting an approach that isn't changing Iranian behavior.
advance bridge build create future sides unless
And that's going to create a stalemate between the two sides unless we build a bridge to the future in advance of that stalemate.
good issues meeting range review security wide
a very good meeting in which we were able to review a wide range of security issues and security concerns.
conveyed ideas middle originally point process
This is a process that has been going on for a long time. The ideas were originally conveyed in the middle of January. At some point it has to come to a conclusion.
advantage unique
Not withstanding the unique confluence of circumstances, he (Arafat) was not able to take advantage of that opportunity,