No, I'm afraid you've missed it.
Nations aren't suitors or brides-to-be, and "wooing" is specious.
We've wooed the Muslims for decades. We liberated Kuwait. We saved Saudi Arabia. We cast our lot with the Kosovars. They hate us more than ever.
Go to them yet again on bended knee, and they will spit in your face as they kill you.
Not really. Public diplomacy is tremendously important.
We've wooed the Muslims for decades. We liberated Kuwait. We saved Saudi Arabia. We cast our lot with the Kosovars. They hate us more than ever.
We haven't actually done so much for Muslims. What we have done, however, is to prop up authoritarian oppressive loonies like Shah Pahlavi, Suharto, the House of Saud, Saddam Hussein (during the eighties), Mubarak, etc., even Arafat. We need to send our message straight to ordinary Muslims, letting them know that we'll fight for Peace, Justice and the American Way (or was that God, Mom and Apple Pie?). You know why Iran is the closest the Middle East has come to a Muslim Democracy? Because we've piped in billions of dollars to prop up authoritarian regimes, and give them the weapons they use to oppress their people. Is it any wonder then, that they hate us?
We need to work to end our dependence on Middle Eastern oil, defund the corrupt despotisms, and work to establish our reputation.
At the same time, we shouldn't hesitate to bomb any terrorists or terrorist-supporting-regimes back to the stone age. Again - the carrot and the stick. Your approach - the carrot and the carrot - just leads to more unpleasantness and continued instability.
"We've wooed the Muslims for decades. We liberated Kuwait. We saved Saudi Arabia. We cast our lot with the Kosovars. They hate us more than ever.
"Go to them yet again on bended knee, and they will spit in your face as they kill you."
Bingaronio.
I'd have thought the "woo them" argument would have died a bit over a half century ago, when Chamberlain "wooed" Hitler.
Yes killing Serbs which temporarily alienated the Orthodox East (maily Russia) only made the Islamics hate us more as it showed we had no principles. Of course the Clinton administration had no principles.
Once the Arab world understands we have principles and will pursure them will terrible vegence they will respect/fear us. That's my recipe for peace.
Yes killing Serbs which temporarily alienated the Orthodox East (maily Russia) only made the Islamics hate us more as it showed we had no principles. Of course the Clinton administration had no principles.
Once the Arab world understands we have principles and will pursure them will terrible vegence they will respect/fear us. That's my recipe for peace.