JK giving speech on U.S. Middle East policy: will stream live!!!

[Luftmensch067]

Kerry to Address U.S. Policy Toward the Middle East
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, March 15, 2011


WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tomorrow, Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, will speak at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. where he will discuss his vision for U.S. policy in the Middle East. Marwan Muasher, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment, will moderate the event.

WHO: Senator John Kerry

WHAT: Speech on Middle East Policy

WHEN: Wednesday, March 16, 2011

1:00 p.m.

WHERE: The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW

Washington, D.C. 20036

LIVESTREAM at either of these links:
http://carnegieendowment.org/kerry
http://carnegieendowment.org/events/?fa=eventDetail&id=3161

[wisteria]

1. Unfortunately, I won't be able to listen to it live, but I hope to get to read it or hear it

later in the day.

[Luftmensch067]

2. I'm pretty sure they'll archive the video

So you'll be able to watch it later, I hope!

[karynnj]

3. Starting now with Marwan Muasher introducing him as a voice of wisdom

who he had the privilege of working with.

Kerry speaking now.

[Luftmensch067]

4. This is one of those historic JK speeches!

Can't wait to see a transcript. Man, this is beautifully written and he is delivering it with such passion and conviction.

And our own ObamaKerryDem is THERE! Can't wait to hear the report!

[YvonneCa]

5. Anyone else losing the sound? n/t

[karynnj]

7. It is annoyingly schreechy - but I can hear it.

[YvonneCa]

8. I have it cranked up as high as it will go and I can...

...barely hear him. Wait...it just fixed itself. :7 Woohoo!

[YvonneCa]

9. Now it's getting louder. The Kerry Angels must have...

...been listening. :)

[karynnj]

6. I agree

He is going to Eqypt and Israel this weekend and will have more to say about that after the trip-. There have been interesting articles in the Israeli news - especially the left leaning Ha'aretz. ( thread I started on them - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=273&topic_id=168854 )

I can't wait to hear ObamaKerryDem's report! It really is a great speech. This is another time where I wish this were the President's speech.

[Inuca]

10. Hope to read some comments

about whathe said here. Doubt I will hear/see much in the news :-( and I cannot stream or watch video (double :-().

karyn, I was counting on you and one of your great live pseudo-blogs but you let me down :-).

[YvonneCa]

12. JK asked about President Obama's SA trip...

...and what he was going to do (related to ME). JK answered...paraphrasing...that he tried very hard to be President so he could answer that question :7 but he can't predict what President Obama's actions would be. It was very funny. :)

[karynnj]

13. Sorry - I quickly saw it was complex enough and so beautifully written

that with my very bad typing, I could not come close to doing it justice - and I was lazy.

But from memory, the substance behind it is the legislation with McCain and Leiberman that would help the Egyptians and Tunisians develop a stronger economy. The lead in was the description of the wave of democracy throughout the area. I think that there is a good chance that either the Kerry staff or the Carnegie site will have a "speech as planned" transcript.

The question and answer is good. On one question he was asked if the fact that the President is going to South America means it will be harder for him to act - and what was the President going to do. Kerry got a grin and said that he had worked very hard to become President - and then he would have been able to answer the question.

[YvonneCa]

11. Just shared link on Twitter...

...:)

[Luftmensch067]

14. Transcript here

http://carnegieendowment.org/files/Kerry_Middle_East_speech_20110316.pdf

Site says audio and video to come!

[karynnj]

15. Yay! Thanks for the link!

[beachmom]

16. Ummm.

Okay, the crappy PDF file won't let me copy. http://carnegieendowment.org/files/Kerry_Middle_East_speech_20110316.pdf Go to Page 3, paragraph 3, and read his paragraph on Bahrain. Kind of mild considering the disgusting things happening there. Warning violent video, but it shows a protestor being shot point blank (via Andrew Sullivan):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=D9W_-0uGN1E&skipcontrinter=1

I hope Sen. Kerry and the Administration are using their influence to stop this immediately. How about some tough talk? We have more influence there than in Libya, and it doesn't involve a complicated international community or military action to do something. The President should speak out against this violence.

[wisteria]

17. I agree with you on this. Our President always seems reluctant to get involved,

or even to say anything unless he is prodded to do so.

[karynnj]

19. That is brutal

I do hope that Kerry/Obama/Clinton are trying to stop this through the contacts they have - though as this video if 3 or 4 days ago, it would have seemed that if they could effect things privately, that already would have happened. I wonder how much influence we really have with either of those countries. It may be that we need them more (or as much) as they need us.

I wonder if the problem is that having spoken out - and not stopped anything in Libya, there is a hesitancy to repeat that. It could also be that there is a fear that Bahrain could kick us out.

Edited to say that JK just said in introductory remarks at the hearing that violence will make the underlying problems worse - and lead to a regional problem. He spoke of wanting to hear from Burns.

[beachmom]

21. Thanks for the update. Thing is, aren't we allies with Bahrain somewhat?

I guess my point in distinguishing Libya from the Bahrain situation, is that we really don't have much of a standing with Qaddafi the way we did with Mubarak. Isn't Bahrain/Saudi Arabia more in the Egypt category?

[karynnj]

22. It depends what the categories are

I think Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, in terms of our relationship is more like the Mubarak government than Libya's, but with the twist that I think Egypt needed us as much as we needed them. I'm not sure that Saudi Arabia does.

I found Burns' answers not at all clear on Bahrain - and I suspect that was intentional. This was a very good hearing in terms of getting most answers (or in some cases at least a clean admission that Burns needed to get back to them.

[Inuca]

25. Yes, I think they should be

Moreover Gadaffi is crazy (like a fox maybe but still crazy). The Bahrain/Saudi Arabia leaders AFAIK are not, though seem from a distance, with the very limited information I have and poor understanding of the culture and local context, their actions seem mostly irrational to me. Seems to me they could have gone to Jordan way, trying to diffuse the tensions (so far succesfully in Jordan, and I hope it staus this way) rather than enflame them. But I am not an Arabian king, so I guess my perspective is somewhat different.

[karynnj]

18. Coverage of speech in Politico

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51475.html

[Mass]

20. Boston Globe article though they seem to focus on the Libya part.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2011/03/17/kerry_asks_un_to_approve_libya_no_fly_zone/

[Luftmensch067]

23. Event video and audio FINALLY up

(yes, I know I'm impatient!)

Here: http://carnegieendowment.org/events/?fa=eventDetail&id=3161

[ProSense]

24. Thanks.

Kerry gave a great speech. It's interesting to listen to his assessment of the big picture and the dynamics in the region. The uprisings present a tremendous opportunity for democratic reform, but each country, Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Tunsia and Yemen, is different.
I agree with him in terms of being prepared to implement a no-fly zone over Libya. He hasn't said do it, just be prepared. Qaddafi could escalate his assault on Libyans any minute. Being prepared is better than scrambling at the last minute.