Sometimes I think we worry too much about promoting democracy and not enough about promoting the rule of law and decent economic management.
Yes. We have learned that lesson, haven't we. The Emirites are small enough that a benevolent Dictatorship works for now. The key is that we push these ME countries toward freedom for their people, instead of our old policy of not giving a damn as long as they filled up our tankers.
What I'm seeing lately, though, is a tendency to lump the entire Muslim world into a single category. I constantly see generic references to "The Muslims", "The Arabs", "The Saudis", "The Pakistanis", etc. Any conclusion based on this sort of collective reference is useless
I don't do it here, or if it it appears I do, it is just sloppiness. OTOH, too much "nuance" leads to standing in the middle of the road trying to explain why you can't get to the other side, until you are run over by a logging truck. This is the way Steyn described Kerry this week.
We need to keep the terrorists on the run, and cut off the money. And keep doing it for a long time. |
