> If anything characterizes the country, it's the fact that they've been great seafarers and traders... > I'd agree however that exalting this past or viewing

> If anything characterizes the country, it's the fact that they've been great seafarers and traders... > I'd agree however that exalting this past or viewing it with rose-tinted glasses is wrong, but saying that they are historically bad negotiators? How? Gunboat diplomacy isn't what one would call good negotiation