Posts Tagged ‘Foreign Policy’
Notebook, 28 May 2011: Great Power Politics In A Multipolar World
One of Solzhenitsyn’s most chilling stories concerned a birthday party for Comrade Stalin, held in a small, out-of-the-way town. Stalin was, of course, no where in sight, but still there were speeches and applause. Without thinking, the mayor of the town rose and exhorted his fellows to one last cheer for the evening to the honor of Stalin.
The applause continued for minutes without stopping and everyone was growing weary, but who would dare to be the first to stop clapping? As the labored applause wore on an old man collapsed. Finally the mayor allowed his arms to drop and the noise died. The next evening the mayor was sentenced to the gulag, and no charges were ever spoken against him. As he stepped into the train, a party official whispered into his ear, “Never be the first one to stop clapping.” — David Sisler
This was not the post I orginally thought to write. It’d be very easy to dump on Congress for their disgraceful looking performance this week during Benjamin Netanyayu’s address to Congress:
and I wouldn’t be the first. Stephen Walt already has, and linked to more (here, here, here and here). None of which I have a problem with. So lets be clear on what happened here: Bibi came to town to reconnect with AIPAC and then press home the threat with Congress, who knew very well what was going on.
Kabuki? No. This is great power politics in action.
Read the rest of this entry »
I might as well weigh in too…
“Russia can neither be grasped by the mind, nor measured by any common yardstick. Russia’s status is special: no attitude to her other than one of blind faith is admissible.”
—Feodor Tyuchev, quoted in: Conquest, Robert. “Patriot, Poet and Prophet.” Standpoint September 2008: 34-37.
“the logic of nationalism is implacable”
—Kiesling, John Brady. Diplomacy Lessons. Washington D.C., District of Columbia: Potomac Books, 2006.
For the past year, everybody in US foreign policy circles has offered up their opinions, analysis, outlined foreign policy priorities as they saw it and shared their fantasies, in anticipation of the elections coming up just over a week from now. With the diplomatic debacle of the current administration’s policies plain to see, everyone agrees that some serious changes need to be made, but not everyone agrees on priorities and methods.
