Bolton on Iran

Thanks to those who attended last night's terrific event at the University of Chicago with John Bolton. I would guess about a 1,000 people were there, and the audience was very receptive to Bolton's talk. The event was organized and sponsored by Chicago Friends of Israel, and University Republicans, and they did a great job putting this together.
Bolton argued that the new post-American Obama policies may be designed to get foreigners to like us more, but it is not earning the US any cooperation, or respect. Nations can spot weakness, and play us, and they are. Bolton thinks sanctions will not be effective in getting Iran to give up its nuclear program, and that Russia, despite our concessions to them on missile defense in Eastern Europe, just gave Obama the back of its hand on agreeing to any new sanctions, assuming this were the preferred US strategy. On Afghanistan, after declaring that this was the essential war, and naming his own ground commander, now Obama seems to be uncomfortable moving forward, largely it appears due to domestic political considerations, not strategic ones. Bolton also thinks there is no chance of realizing a two state solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict, and believes that Jordan and Egypt must play a role to create Palestinian political rights, but not in a new state of their own.