A POLICY OF "SUICIDAL STATECRAFT"

"Some 60 years ago Arnold Toynbee (above) concluded, in his monumental 'Study of History' that the ultimate cause of imperial collapse was 'suicidal statecraft.' Sadly for George W. Bush's place in history and--much more important--ominously for America's future, that adroit phrase increasingly seems applicable to the policies pursued by the United States since the cataclysm of 9/11." The above is the start of an Op Ed piece in Sunday's Los Angeles Times by Zbigniew Brzezinski. He goes on to point out how the war has turned out to be much more costly in blood and money than anticipated. "It has precipitated worldwide criticism. In the Middle East it has stamped the United States as the imperialistic successor to Britian and as a partner of Israel in the military repression of the Arabs. Fair or not, that perception has become widespread throughout the world of Islam. . . . It is a self-delusion for Americans to be told that the terrorists are motivated mainly by an abstract 'hatred of freedom' and that their acts are a reflection of a profound cultural hostility." The contrast between the attack on Iraq and America's forbearance of a nuclear-armed North Korea has strengthened the conviction of the Iranians that their security can only be enhanced by nuclear weapons. Let's hope that in the coming months our nation seeks a truly bipartisan foreign policy that constructively focuses on North Korea, Iran, Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process while restoring the legitimacy of America's global role.