US to Remain Belligerent after Presidential Polls: American Analyst
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An American political analyst and academic said the US government will continue with its aggressive policy regardless of who will become the next president.
“The country continues to be war-weary, so that will not change at all in just a few months. It will take time before the American public is willing to consider any large-scale military deployments. Indeed the country continues to be war-weary, so that will not change at all in just a few months. It will take time before the American public is willing to consider any large-scale military deployments,” Patrick James, a professor of international relations at University of Southern California (USC), said in an interview with the Tasnim News Agency.
Following is the full text of the interview.
Q: What will be the reaction of a potential Republican or Democratic winner of the upcoming US presidential polls to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Tehran and world powers?
A: If a Democrat wins – and it will be Clinton, barring an indictment by the FBI before the election – the nuclear agreement with Iran will stay in place.
If a Republican wins, much depends on who it is. Trump is bombastic and entirely unpredictable. If he wins, he could announce that the deal is being thrown out of the window. In other words, there is much more uncertainty about the deal, and greater hostility to it, if the Republicans win the presidency.
Q: Do you think the outcome of the votes would change the US foreign policy?
A: The Obama approach is more or less dictated by his concerns about domestic politics. He does not like foreign policy and wishes it would go away. Clinton would be more programmatic and probably would be more open to military action.
Q: How will its results affect developments in the Middle East?
A: The country continues to be war-weary, so that will not change at all in just a few months. It will take time before the American public is willing to consider any large-scale military deployments. Indeed the country continues to be war-weary, so that will not change at all in just a few months. It will take time before the American public is willing to consider any large-scale military deployments.
Q: What would be Europe’s reaction if a Republican takes the Oval Office?
A: Europe will do nothing. It is in crisis over the refugee issue and more or less paralyzed anyway because of all of the controversy over whether Great Britain will exit the EU.
This could be a very volatile period, with Britain leaving the EU and then Scotland seceding from Great Britain and re-joining the EU. It is a truly confusing period.
