The Price of Appeasement

The Washington Times ^ | September 1, 2009 | Editorial

[Abakumov]

Today, the spirit of appeasement is alive and well. Authoritarian states like Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela bully, bluster, build up their forces and project their power. Threatened countries like Israel, Honduras and Georgia -- who in the past might have counted on the U.S. for assistance -- must now seek their own path. The White House ponders grand bargains that will settle the world's problems and placate the aggressors. Our leaders listen, analyze, promise and apologize. All the while, the world's dictators look longingly at maps and contemplate what frontiers previously denied them are slowly beginning to materialize.

[Pining_4_TX]

Well, that may be, but what does the author suggest we do? Start wars with all these countries?

In case he hasn’t noticed, we have 2 wars going already with no end in sight, and we are broke. Our options are quite limited.

[Fantasywriter]

I think the point is that the bad guys know they can get away with anything as long as Obama is in charge. The same dictators who were afraid to get too far out of line when Bush was president [because frankly they never knew exactly how he would respond] are flagrantly misbehaving now. For example, N. Korea kidnapped the two journalists, and made Clinton grovel to get them back. A few incidents of that type happened under Bush, but not many. Now they are proliferating. The very fact that everyone knows Obama is an anti-American pacifist has emboldened the bad guys. That’s how it looks to me anyway.

[SunkenCiv]

Threatened countries like Israel, Honduras and Georgia -- who in the past might have counted on the U.S. for assistance -- must now seek their own path.