That's a Poor Political Strategy: Whitcomb on Armenia and Azerbaijan

The U.S. President's Special Envoy, Steve Whitcomb, commented on the U.S. involvement in the dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He made these statements during an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson. Carlson emphasized that U.S. participation in mediation would only be appropriate when the U.S. can exert influence.

“Why waste your time or the United States' time? Why would I go to the president and suggest that we can achieve something through dialogue, only to find that we cannot? That’s a poor political strategy. If I do not participate in that process, give an assessment, and then tell the president that we can achieve results through dialogue, only then will participation make sense. These calculations apply not just to Iran, Russia, and Ukraine but also to Azerbaijan and Armenia,” said Whitcomb.

According to him, these principles can be applied to all conflicts, and the U.S. should only engage in negotiations when there are real opportunities for influence.