Observations

George W. Bush’s fortunes are declining rapidly. Why? Because he does not appreciate the subtle meaning and power of diplomacy, which was so much valued by his father.

Martin Wolf is an exceptional thinker and columnist for the Financial Times. He is superbly well informed and has a keen sense of history and world affairs.

As a good friend of the US and its policies, he provides a different view – one with a European slant. Recently, he wrote a column that surprised me because he let down his cautious assessment of our policies to become aggressively critical.

He finds our foreign policy disturbing because the president fails to understand the basis of US power, mis-specifies US objectives, and is incompetent in executing its objectives. And then, he adds ….

On 9/11, a huge proportion of humanity viewed the US as a victim of an outrage. Now, however, the US can rely on the public’s sympathy of very few of its allies.

A civilized occupying army cannot coerce the obedience of a population.

A country containing 4% of the world’s population cannot impose its will upon the world.

The cold war was won not because the US had a bigger army, but because it offered a more attractive model.

The more the US plays the unilateral bully, the more its attraction fades. Proclaiming a war against terrorism justifies the indefinite suspension of the rules of law, and spawns new enemies.

If the US leaves behind in Iraq despotism or chaos, it will be a grievous defeat. [As in Afghanistan? Ed.]

The president is not up to the job of developing foreign policy. The world is too complex and dangerous for the pious simplicities and arrogant unilateralism of George W. Bush—a unilateral bully [who failed to make an alliance with his major friends. Ed.] Wow!

(This Observations appeared in the 6/7/04 issue of The Peter Dag Portfolio).