I am neither a Russia-basher nor a China-basher. But there was something truly filthy about Russia's and China's vetoes of the American-led U.N. Security Council effort to impose targeted sanctions on Robert Mugabe's ruling clique in Zimbabwe. The U.S. put forward a simple Security Council resolution, calling for an arms embargo on Zimbabwe, the appointment of a U.N. mediator, plus travel and financial restrictions on the dictator Mugabe and 13 top military and government officials for stealing the Zimbabwe election and essentially mugging an entire country in broad daylight. <...> Perfect we are not, but America still has some moral backbone. There are travesties we will not tolerate. The U.N. vote on Zimbabwe demonstrates that this is not true for these "popular" countries -- called Russia or China or South Africa -- that have no problem siding with a man who is pulverizing his own people. So, yes, we're not so popular in Europe and Asia anymore. I guess they would prefer a world in which America was weaker, where leaders with the values of Vladimir Putin and Thabo Mbeki had a greater say, and where the desperate voices for change in Zimbabwe would, well, just shut up.
I am neither a Russia-basher nor a China-basher. But there was something truly filthy about Russia's and China's vetoes of the American-led U.N. Security Council effort to impose targeted sanctions on Robert Mugabe's ruling clique in Zimbabwe.
The U.S. put forward a simple Security Council resolution, calling for an arms embargo on Zimbabwe, the appointment of a U.N. mediator, plus travel and financial restrictions on the dictator Mugabe and 13 top military and government officials for stealing the Zimbabwe election and essentially mugging an entire country in broad daylight. <...>
Perfect we are not, but America still has some moral backbone. There are travesties we will not tolerate. The U.N. vote on Zimbabwe demonstrates that this is not true for these "popular" countries -- called Russia or China or South Africa -- that have no problem siding with a man who is pulverizing his own people.
So, yes, we're not so popular in Europe and Asia anymore. I guess they would prefer a world in which America was weaker, where leaders with the values of Vladimir Putin and Thabo Mbeki had a greater say, and where the desperate voices for change in Zimbabwe would, well, just shut up.
Creidibility and popularity are not a zero-sum game.
Oh, it's Friedman. Why do I even bother? In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Oh, it's Friedman. Why do I even bother?
Because he makes a lot of sense at other times, such as on the environment and green industry.
And because he raises a good example of what the world may start to look like as the Western influence on the world begins to cede to non-Western powers. ... all progress depends on the unreasonable mensch.(apologies to G.B. Shaw)
