Friedman's Diplomacy: Strong Arming

Thomas Friedman has a pretty distasteful Sunday column about how the U.S. should run its diplomacy. The U.S. should have some leverage before it talks with other nations, particularly Arab nations. Granted, it's nice to have leverage or an advantage when negotiating, but this does not reflect an attitude of each side gaining from the negotiations and thereafter some mutual respect being achieved. It's more about the U.S. being able to strong arm with whomever it deals. This only brings distrust and resentment from other nations. In essence, this has been what the Bush administration's foreign policy has been: being able to force an outcome or not do anything at all.