Grand strategy is not about curing the world by the next national election

OPINION: "Will Islam Return Obama's 'Respect'?" by Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal, 9 April 2009.

Another sort of whiney op-ed you will read--more times than you'll be able to count--in the pages of the WSJ in coming months and years: if we show Islam respect, then America is surrendering to every single outrage that occurs across its vast expanse of rather retrograde political systems.

Then again, we're likely to have far happier Muslims over here, and that's worth something, in addition to the world's better opinion.

The Christian thing to do is to behave well, expecting nothing in return, letting the shame fall on their side instead of ours. We don't behave well to get results; we behave well because it's right.

And the strategic thing to do is realize that we'll do just fine with whatever comes next in globalization while these states will be forced into wrenching changes across the board (ours will be limited to economics).

There is no great need for any sort of containment: globalization's penetrating embrace of Islamic regions creates all the dynamics of note, with our actions being largely a reactive sideshow.

But in those actions, if we show respect, we pick up no unnecessary friction.

And that's worth something.

Comments

[Javaid Akhtar]

The idea that some sort of coherent Islamic political fudge cake of an entity 'exists 'out there , that is in contrast and in separation to the greater dialogue of Globalization/West/Civilisation is comical.The whole of the old trade routes that this christian sect ( Islam = Christians+ 1 more prophet) has propagated along are practically all patrons of the State Department .

[Tom Barnett]

True enough. That is why I like to cast the resistance in terms of friction.

When you keep globalization in mind as the preeminent dynamic, then you tend to discount the notion of us-v-some coherent "them."

[Louis Heberlein]

"The Christian thing to do is to behave well, expecting nothing in return, letting the shame fall on their side instead of ours. We don't behave well to get results; we behave well because it's right."

Read 'Joshua In The Holy Land' by Joseph Girzone. The series emphasizes the realistic pragmatism of Jesus' approach in a modern context. In this book, the players 'get it' because they experienced the consequences of trying 'everything else' on themselves, their families, and especially their children.

Unfortunately, theological ideology got hold of Christianity and bad things followed. So books like this help to get back to reality.

[chnhnm]

Bejesus Christ. (Sorry I'm exasperated.)

Why can't more Americans THINK like you?

There's absolutely nothing wrong with being religious, to the extent that it enhances the natural goodness of people. You will find plenty of good in all religions alike. Extremism and unilateralism is the true enemy.

Americans need to reject the Huckabee "us Christians vs. dem Muslims" mentality.

[stuart abrams]

Interesting definition of Islam. Kind of like Mormonism.

[Javaid Akhtar]

Heretics are two to the penny .When a society is ready and primed for a pinprick to set off some sort of renewal , then these heretics get termed as prophets if they come along at the ' right ' time.Tack this heretic onto pre-existing religious amalgam and create a renewed power structure.If it suceeds historically , we have a Prophet and religion.If it fails , we have heretic and sect.

I wonder if the evolution and ascendency of Democracies would also entail necessarily the 'sectification' of religion ( or tolerance of and hence inevitable break -up into sects unlike in our past societal evolution) e.g the sucess of Mormonism .In that sense , Islam has a political dimemsion that still acts aggressively against sects and maybe that would be an incidental marker that could indicate a maturing ( or lack of ) of those societies into more truly devolved individually driven power structures like , one man -one vote.But that is an internal dialogue that is happening .Its happening in Russia as well ( the harsh treatment meted out and closing down of 'sects' from the West).

If we remove power from religious structures , which is what democracies have done ,we will go from Religion to Sects back right to the springwell of the Heretic: spirituality. Will everyone have individually centered personalised spirituality ..sold to us on an iPod?.