Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-07-16
In Need of Review

In authorizing a broad study or
reappraisal of long-range American pol
icies abroad, the Senate Foreign Rela-
lions Committee has set in motion
project that can be of great value n it
is carried out in thoroughly objective
and nonpartisan spirit. The "if" here
Is an important one. Certainly, in these
dangerous days. nothing could be more
imperative for our country than that
such a review, II 1t is conducted at all,
should be conducted in keeping with the
wise old axiom about politics stopping
at the waters edge.
1t is in this spirit, happily, that
Senator Fulbright and othek members
Of the Foreign Relations Committee
Democratic and Republican members
alike-seem to be approaching the pro-
jected new. study. Their avowed aim is
to be constructive rather than to make
a political football out Of what may or
may not have been the shortcomings or
errors Of our present and past admins
trations in dealing with the rest of the
world. Accordingly, as the Senators
themselves have explained it, their pri-
mary objective will be to re-examine
what has been done or left undone-es-
pecially as regards the infiamed Middle
EaSt-and to apply their findings in a
way calculated to help make our inter-
national policies more effective in the
future. 81
In any event, as demonstrated by
the grave developments In Iraq and
Lebanon, there can be no doubt that
such e-examination--again assuming
that it viii be objective and nonparti-
san-is very much in order. For there
is obvious reason now to question the
soundneSS of certain of the premises
on which some Of our programs abroad
have been based AS far as the Middle
East is concerned, for example, we must
in all candor ask ourselves whether
the Eisenhower doctrine is actually
well designed-legally, psychologically
and otherwise-to cope with the kind
of situation that prevails there at pres
ent primarily as result of rampant
Arab nationaliSm. We must ask our
selves, too, whether we have properly
evaluated the phenomenon of "Nasser-
ism" and whether we might not have
been able to follow less ambiguous and
more affirmative policy in our dealings
with Egypt'S President.
On this latter point, by way of illus
tration, Mr. Fulbright has recalled that
Chairman Green of the Foreign Rela-
tons Committee spoke as follows to the
Senate last April. Zone of the results of
our lack of clear policies in the Middle
East is that we have been unable to
make up our minds as to whether or not
we wanted to get along with Colonel
Nasser. Sometimes-as in making the
Aswan Dam offer-We have acted as
though we did want to get along with
him, and sometimeS-aS in withdraw
ing that offer-we have acted as though
we did not want to. Until we decide
this basic question, it is idle to debate
whether we can get along with him If
we do want to-"
In the light of current events, these
words may be academic. Even so, they
serve to point up the fact that our
country's foreign policy in the Middle
East, and in other areas as well, has
fallen far short of perfection and that
it needs to be reappraised in an effort
to strengthen it, The Senate commit
tees forthcoming study is therefore a
thing to be heartily welcomed-always
with the proviSo, of course, that it will
be carried out carefully, quietly and
without politicking.