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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bilow who wrote (125733)	3/7/2004 10:38:27 PM
From: Sam	Respond to of 281500

Hi Carl, Speaking of fantasies, back in Nov of 2002, I quoted from the Fed Papers on why it was important to heed the opinions of other nations: An attention to the judgement of other nations is important to every government for two reasons: the one is that independently of the merits of any particular plan or measure, it is desirable, on various accounts, that it should appear to other nations as the offspring of a wise and honorable policy; the second is that in doubtful cases, particularly where the national councils may be warped by some strong passion or momentary interest, the presumed or known opinion of the impartial world may be the best guide that can be followed. What has not America lost by her want of character with foreign nations; and how many errors and follies would she not have avoided, if the justice and propriety of her measures had, in every instance, been previously tried by the light in which they would probably appear to the unbiased part of mankind? [Madison, Fed 63] True, nowhere does Madison say that the govt has a duty to be responsible to any other government. But his main concern throughout is how to check both the abuse of power and abuse of liberty. He knew how often both the people and the government could be subject to delusion, hence the question and answer that you quoted, which is so typical of him: What bitter anguish would not the people of Athens have often escaped if their government had contained so provident a safeguard against the tyranny of their own passions? Popular liberty might then have escaped the indelible reproach of decreeing to the same citizens the hemlock on one day and statues on the next. He is talking here about the government being deluded, and needing a check on their power so that they can get some distance from their lunacy, and (hopefully) recover from it, see it in perspective, and not do something crazy. #reply-18257509 re: But what happens when it is not an individual who is caught up in his fantasy world, but an entire group — a sect, or a people, or even a nation?