Finally, George W. Bush has secured the support of the “traditional ally” most favored by the American left. You would think the New York Times would be delighted. You would be wrong.
If diplomacy in the absence of “threats” — implicit or otherwise — were so effective in restraining rogue states, then there really is no excuse for Switzerland, Sweden, and New Zealand not to be doing their fair share to contain Iran, is there? After all, their diplomats are as capable of doing the talking part of diplomacy as anybody. Why aren’t the smooth-talking and experienced Irish settling wars all over the world? Because it’s the threats that make diplomacy work.
Presumably the editors might then say, “well, sure, but you do not have to stoke the nationalist passions of the Iranian people by making the threats in public.”
Well, you do if your most important intended audience is the French electorate. Sarkozy’s speech was obviously intended to build support within France for a sanctions regime that will not come cheap to the French economy.
Considering that the New York Times constantly accuses the Bush administration of propagandizing to build support at home for its forward foreign policy, you would think its editors would notice when the leader of another democracy does the same thing.
Of course, Sarkozy was also speaking to Iran’s government. Much as the Times might deplore it (”What’s scary is that his comments may reflect his understanding of where American policy is headed”), Sarkozy was sending the message to Tehran that Saddam’s strategy of dividing the West will not work this time. That ought to increase the credibility of the G-3 (the United Kingdom, France, and Germany) and improve their chances of forcing the mullahs to fold, just as the Times itself recognized when it said “the U.N. Security Council must remain united.”
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