US Officials Tend to Overestimate Foreign Policy Reforms: British Analyst
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A British political analyst said US foreign policy will never undergo major changes, adding that the country’s officials usually follow in the footsteps of former presidents and that they overestimate how much the US diplomatic approach to other states can change.
“…Americans tend to overestimate the extent to which US foreign policy is subject to change from the White House -- Obama for example had to do many of the same things as Bush,” Nick Cull, a professor at the University of Southern California, told the Tasnim News Agency.
Following is the full text of the interview.
Q: Do you think the outcome of the next presidential elections would change the US foreign policy?
A: My view as a British professor working in the USA is that Americans tend to overestimate the extent to which US foreign policy is subject to change from the White House -- Obama for example had to do many of the same things as Bush.
Q: What will be the reaction of a potential Republican winner of the upcoming polls to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Tehran and world powers?
A: While the Iran nuclear issue is easy to bring into politics during the primary phase it will I believe be harder to manipulate whoever comes into office. The acquiescence of congress came from intense lobbying from US allies in the deal who showed how the deal was an achievement of many countries and was not easily changed.
Q: Who will be the next president of the United States?
A: I think a sitting president will be similarly persuaded. As for the ultimate victor, I suspect that Mrs Clinton is hard to beat. I don't see how Trump can overcome the negative feelings of so many Americans towards him - and the way he seems so bootleg and uninformed.
