reliance on the altruism of nations is rarely beneficial

Submitted by ajnn (United States), Jan 31, 2017 at 21:36

we seem to agree that reliance on the goodwill / honor / altruism of a nation is a very bad idea.

another recent example is found in DeGaulle's France from 1967. When the Israeli's went to France for the help in stopping the coming war they were hopeful b/c of promises made to Israel by DeGaulle 11 years earlier. DeGaulle, referring to those promises, said , "That was then. This is now" and washed his hands of Israel and his promises. DeGaulle also effort to put a good face on France out of NATO, reducing France's participation to 'consulting member' and pursuing its own '3rd Way'; a transparent effort to put a good face on a foreign policy based on free-loading on American security and playing the anti-American propaganda game with the Soviets.

Nations are not people. the American record on 'containment' of the Soviet/Russian empire is unmatched in history. It is an anomaly, an exception, something very unusual not something we should expect to be replicated.

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