In the War on Terror, Foreign Opinion Should Not Enter the Equation
John Yoo ·
May 10, 2011 at 11:59am
I had a short piece in USA Today's op-ed page on how Bush policies ID'd bin Laden's location. I explain why the intelligence gathered from interrogations under the Bush administration led to bin Laden. But I also try raise a new issue: I take on the USA Today's argument that US tactics have harmed our standing in the world. Our past successful presidents took the measures necessary to win WWII, or the Civil War, rather than worried about foreign opinion. And in any event, foreign governments are all too happy to attack us in public, while privately supporting us in protecting not just our security, but theirs.
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Jul '10
Re: In the War on Terror, Foreign Opinion Should Not Enter the Equation
In the run-up to the Bay of Pigs, John F Kennedy worried about world opinion. So he flinched and allowed brave Cuban patriots to be slaughtered on the beach.
Throughout the Cold War, my mantra was, "I don't give a damn what Sweden thinks."
Re: In the War on Terror, Foreign Opinion Should Not Enter the Equation
As Machiavelli once observed, if you have to choose between feared and loved, it is better to be feared.
Oct '10
Re: In the War on Terror, Foreign Opinion Should Not Enter the Equation
America has a tradition of doing what is right rather than what is popular. We should stick with that formula.
Edited on May 10, 2011 at 12:43pmAug '10
Re: In the War on Terror, Foreign Opinion Should Not Enter the Equation
Much of the world still adores Obama, should we re-elect him? The world will be mad at us if we don't. If we elect anyone who isn't an extreme 'progressive', they won't like it.
A lot of 'civilized' citizens of the world think high gas prices are good, and Smart cars are the way to go. The list goes on and on. If we follow world opinion, we'll be wrecked on the shoals they're headed for.
Do the Chinese fret about world opinion other than as a tool for maximizing their interests? He** no. Isn't it odd that the world barely notices the egregious behavior of our adversaries?
Sep '10
Re: In the War on Terror, Foreign Opinion Should Not Enter the Equation
There is much contention regarding your assertion that Enhanced Interrogation Techniques provided crucial pieces of the intelligence mosaic. I heard an administration official on Foxnews Sunday basically deny that. I'm not surprised at that, but is there an unequivocal truth here or is this up to being interpreted by whomever looks at it?
Aug '10
Re: In the War on Terror, Foreign Opinion Should Not Enter the Equation
There are sensible foreigners who understand the critical role America plays in maintaining and promoting freedom and who understand that this can't always be achieved by love and understanding. Such people may well be in the majority- they're just not as noisy as the haters.
May '10
Re: In the War on Terror, Foreign Opinion Should Not Enter the Equation
I suppose you're right that Abraham Lincoln didn't worry about foreign opinion in the Civil War, it being a war involving no foreigners. But World War II? It's pretty stunning to assert that our leaders didn't worry about foreign opinion. Right?
Mar '11
Re: In the War on Terror, Foreign Opinion Should Not Enter the Equation
Conor, I am curious what evidence you would offer that foriegn opinion played a major role in our prosecution of WWII. Are you are referring to Eisenhower's diplomacy in leading the Anglo-American coalition, which at times had a rocky relationship? I am guessing that is not what you are referring to.
We (the Allies) targeted civilians to break the will and morale of our enemies (Dresden and Tokyo firestorms, Hiroshima and Nagasaki plus many more examples), and did these things unapologetically. I am quite convinced that we no longer have the will to prosecute wars this way. Perhaps that is a good thing, but I fear that when we unilaterally tie one of our own hands behind our back, we do so at our own peril. A friend of mine who was a Force Recon Marine says "If it's a fair fight, it was a crappy plan..."
Edited on May 13, 2011 at 4:38am