Former US Ambassador Ryan Crocker talks with host Marco Werman about the pitfalls Washington faces as it tries to protect its interests in Syria and Egypt.
Amb. Crocker served as a US diplomat for over 30 years, including postings in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.
“Right now, our paramount interest has to be insuring that Egypt does not become Syria,” Amb. Crocker says. “We agonize over these moments, but as senior diplomats, they are also the moments we live for, enormously complex situations that present existential challenges to the region and to our own interests. Where Washington is unsure of how to proceed, the man or woman on the spot has enormous responsibilities and enormous opportunities to make the analysis, the recommendations and chart the way forward that the administration can then adapt.”
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