Monday, February 02, 2009
The "king of kings" is back!
The "king of kings" has returned in the guise of the new president of the African Union. The hope of FP Passport blogger Elizabeth Dickenson that "he might be good at the job" strikes me as wishful thinking of the most apologetic sort:
But the big news is actually that he might be good at the job. The Libyan leader garners a lot of respect where it is most needed these days. In Zimbabwe, Qaddafi's credibility as a leader who has 'stood up' to the West and supported anti-apartheid in South Africa could at least win him an audience (and some sway -- should he use it) with Mugabe.
So, Muammar Qaddafi might be good at the job because he will have a lot of credibility with Robert Mugabe? Under that reasoning, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might be the right man to reform Hamas.
It is this kind of nuanced thinking that distinguishes foreign policy experts from the rest of us.
5 Comments:
By 
, at
Mon Feb 02, 04:35:00 PM:
" It is this kind of nuanced thinking that distinguishes foreign policy experts from the rest of us. "....Which is illustrative that any idiot can become a foreign policy expert ? Seems that they have cornered the idiot market.
By 
D.E. Cloutier, at
Mon Feb 02, 04:42:00 PM:
I almost never encounter so-called "foreign policy experts" when I travel overseas. They must stay at the cheaper hotels.
Come to think of it, I did meet one at a bar in Jakarta. It was great fun watching him try to get his hotel key back after a hooker had snatched it from his shirt pocket.
By Escort81, at
Mon Feb 02, 04:56:00 PM:
"It was great fun watching him try to get his hotel key back after a hooker had snatched it from his shirt pocket."
Which is why you should always keep the key in your pants front pocket. Even if you are not a paying customer (and I am not), you at least get a sense of their professional dexterity before asking them to go fish somewhere else.
DEC - correct me if I am wrong, but in many countries (particularly outside of Europe), isn't it a mistake to stay at the cheaper hotels? I mean, unless you're passably decent at some form of martial arts / self-defense or have the equivalent of a concealed carry permit? I can't imagine that a no-tell motel in, say, Jakarta, is much of a garden spot.
Anyway, reading that link, I am still not sure whether or not she was being tongue-in-cheek.
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Mon Feb 02, 05:33:00 PM:
Escort81: "a mistake to stay at the cheaper hotels."
I have no idea, Escort81. I stay only in 5-star hotels. After all, business is theater.
In Asia I like the hotels of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
Here's one of my favorites:
http://www.mandarinoriental.com/bangkok/
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Mon Feb 02, 06:03:00 PM:
P.S. If you want a more rural lifestyle, Escort 81, you may enjoy the Four Seasons Tented Camp, Golden Triangle, Thailand:
http://www.fourseasons.com/goldentriangle/
