John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us.' ~New Revised Standard Version of the New Testament
'Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make.
Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.'
~ Pres George W. Bush, September 20, 2001, Address to Congress:
I find it strange how these positions seem to be the converse of each other – one invites relationship with others; the second forces an identity on them by requiring submission or opposition. One wonders what the last ten years might have looked like had we chosen the first path instead of the second.
Interesting. In light of the death of Osama Bin Laden do you feel there is an opportunity to reverse this direction?
ReplyDeleteCarla, the situation with Pakistan is an excellent example of this difference. If we take the GWB view, there is a major problem with Pakistan, since they will not clearly act in accordance with "our side". The view expressed in Mark shows the possibility of a different response: staying open to whatever Pakistan can contribute and letting the rest go.
ReplyDeleteThe coming weeks will help us see which way the Obama team chooses. (I can already guess which way the GOP will turn.)
Diana
I think this is a very important point. Why do we expect our "allies" or "friends in the region" to put the limited goals of our foreign policy (limited in that we put our needs first) in place of the political and regional needs (or demands) of their own citizens.
ReplyDelete