11 December 2007
From the time that George Bush labeled certain countries the “axis of evil” I felt that was no way to foster international relations. That sort of name calling, even if the country was not one that we had good relations with, seemed to me, to breed resentment, of our country, by the citizens of the labeled countries. Surely there must be a way to to interact with the leaders of rogue countries. The Bush administration did not want face-to-face dealings with “axis of evil” leaders. How can one gain understanding if there is no direct dialog? As we have discovered, the administration had no understanding of the middle east way of thinking. They didn’t do their homework before we invaded Iraq. Will the same thing happen with Iran?
There seems to be a small measure to “mend fences” when I read that the New York Philharmonic is going to play in North Korea. They plan to visit Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, in February. Invited by North Korea it will be the first significant cultural visit by Americans to that country. There seems to be the possibility of warmer ties with a country labeled the “axis of evil”.
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