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> I will acknowledge that the people making policy decisions on this also, as well as probably being just plain better at this area than I am Maybe. Maybe not.
by mopsi 2y ago
> I will acknowledge that the people making policy decisions on this also, as well as probably being just plain better at this area than I am
Maybe. Maybe not. This reminded me of Jake Sullivan's essay in November/December 2023 issue of the Foreign Affairs. His essay went to print on October 2nd, less than a week before Hamas killed 1200 Israelis. In the essay, Sullivan writes what a success the Middle Eastern de-escalation policy has been, how the region is more peaceful than it has been in decades, and how successful they have been in discouraging further Iranian aggression. It was such an embarrasing essay that Foreign Affairs scrubbed key paragraphs from the online version.
And this is only one of many spectacular failures. While he has very impressive credentials, his public track record from Syria to Myanmar, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Israel and Iran makes him indistinguishable from a total idiot. History knows many such overeducated idiots, Robert McNamara comes to mind immediately.
- blitzar 2y agoMost if not all of these roles (in the western sphere at least) are political appointees selected from a pool of politicians or those adjacent to power. Certainly their baseline of experience and knowledge is higher than the average man in the street, however, as a political appointee everthing is filtered through the lens of national proaganda and partisan politics. The end result is indistinguishable from a total idiot. There are some seasoned (life long professional) diplomats out there who are very knowledgeable, however, you wont hear from them in the media this side of their retirement.