William Kristol explains the neocon mindset...
William Kristol was kind enough to explain the neocon alternative to "Realpolitik" the other day:
[emphasis mine]They are sending Deputy Secretary Negroponte over there earlier this weekend. This is the Marcos moment, I think, where we tell our ally, the friendly and decent dictator, that his time has passed.
The problem with these friendly dictators is they end up wanting to hang on, they like being dictators beyond when it is in their country's national interest, and beyond when it is in our interest.
Ummm, "beyond when it is in our interest".... Yes, that could be a problem, I imagine. We certainly want dictators that will promote our interests. And when they don't, and they don't step down ... well, we have another $2 trillion or so and several thousand troops' lives to spare...
Certainly no problem with the many dictators we've supported over the years, such as Marcos, Pinochet, the Shah of Iran, Soeharto, Rios Montt, Park Chung-hee, Saddam Hussein and all the rest we told to go take a hike ... oh, wait.
But this does lay bare the neocon mindset:
Exactly when is it in a "country's national interest" to have a dictator? Let me guess: When that dictator kisses up to 'U.S. interests' so that his country doesn't get turned into a glass parking lot by the United States; I'm sure that binary choice is a no-brainer. Do I win a prize?
And those that might be concerned about the rights of the little people living in those dictatorships can just take a long walk on a short dock. What's their fingernails and testicles compared to our "national interest"?
"[F]riendly and decent dictator", indeed. I thought the accepted term was "benevolent dictator".
(h/t Jonathan Schwarz over at This Modern World)
posted by Arne Langsetmo @ 11:21 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
You don't win a prize. Indeed, I don't believe you know what you're talking about.
American Power
Ahhhh, a neocon slinks in to extol the virtues of Mr. John "Blow up the U.N. ... and then Iran" Bolton, master diplomat with a dead muskrat on his upper lip.
Mr. Bolton is of the considered opinion that we oughtn't politicise "intelligence", notwithstanding the Iraq fiasco that he and his buddies were complicit.
"One word. Just one word. You listening, John? 'Stovepiping'...."
But Cheney's "Team B" has been doing this same crap for thirty years (including the 'usual suspects' of Perle and Wolfowitz [now inexplicably back in the maladministration]).
Yet this neocon troll here hasn't learned a f*cking thing.... No surprise there.
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