Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Halbstarke Foreign Policy


This week's Smile Politely column is up: Half-Strong Foreign Policy, where I invoke another German word in a discussion of manliness. Also, I compare George Bush to a drunk, something I've been meaning to do for quite some time.

5 comments:

Robert Sievers said...

Dan,

It is not our foreign policy that causes Muslims to hate us. It is the Qur'an, Hadith, and sunna.

Before advocating treaties with Muslim countries, I suggest we as Americans understand the treaty of Hudabiya, the example Muhammad set for Muslims to follow throughout the ages.

PGregory Springer said...

Maybe "distrust" would be a better word to use than "hate" when forming these opinions. Hate is something learned and cultured and then established on principle. Do people hate simply because they are told to hate? Can treaties and laws written years ago create hatred? Such a hatred, nurtured only in teaching and not based on experience, disappears when people agree to meet halfway. Unless we are prepared to commit planetary suicide in endless warfare, we should restrain ourselves from making claims of inherent hatred between races and religions. It serves no good.

Dan S said...

Bob, it sounds like you are saying we can't trust Muslims, because they are especially evil.

Is that something you think Jesus would preach today?

Fingtree said...

Very nice article Dan! George W. Bush was a drunk and also had the best cocaine money could buy for many years. His lack of coherent articulation(Bushism's), especially in the world arena, proves his past abuse of those and most likely other drugs. The Republican's really lowered the bar when he won the primaries in 2000. By doing so, the Republican's have shown their true blind loyalty, lack of vision and poor judgment. To continue to argue that he is somehow credible or intelligent and that his Presidency does not reflect a drunken mentality, shows an even more dangerous obstinacy that is borderline mental derangement, not unlike Dubya himself.

Robert Sievers said...

Dan said "Bob, it sounds like you are saying we can't trust Muslims, because they are especially evil."

I am not saying we cannot trust Muslims. I am saying we cannot trust Islam. Islam, in its pure form, instructs its followers to make treaties only when doing so will allow Islam to conquer the other party by use of the treaty. I am sure there are many Muslims who don't fully accept all of their religion and can therefore be negotiated with.

As for what Jesus would preach. See Matt 10:13-18 for one example. Jesus also commands us to love our neighbor. I don't see how subjecting my neighbor to a group who wants to rule the world under an Islamic banner is love, no matter how anyone spins it.