Quote:
Originally Posted by Superman
Effective foreign policy involves careful use of both the Carrot and the Stick. For the supporters of the current "administration" here to deny that the Carrot has been collecting dust while the Stick has seen non-stop use is.......either deluded or dishonest. We're hoping to have a meaningful dialogue here. When you guys pretend that the current "administration" has been engaging in diplomacy, please also admit that your vision of diplomacy means whacking our enemies until they stop hating us. Because you and I both know that has been our sole approach these last eight years.
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Carrots only work when enemies know the stick is available for use. Tell me N. Korea would have even bothered to show up at the negotiating table had China not put pressure on them or if we had no troops or submarines withing short striking distance of them. What made Libya change its behavior? Talk or action? You might also recall that Saddam kicked UN weapons inspectors out in 1998 and only let them back in once we had amassed a huge army in Kuwait ot let him know we meant business. How did telling the Taliban to surrender bin Laden or surrender power work out? Wonder why Taiwan is still free? State actors who are inclined to behave badly only ever behave responsibly when the consequences for not doing so threaten the regime's survival. No bad guy was ever talked out of being bad when it wasn't backed up by a credible threat of force. Has never ever happened.