Amitai Etzioni Notes

Fewer Enemies, more (potential) Allies

I know these lines are going to cost me. At least two dinner invitations that have been previously extended are going to be withdrawn summarily. The Hyper Liberal club of Washington, D.C. may well declare me persona non grata. And the abuse I am taking on the blogosphere may rise at least one more decibel -- not a small feat given its current level. Nevertheless, what is one to do? Truth be told, Karen Hughes, the Public Diplomacy Tsar of the Condi Rice State Department--and member of the Bush administration--aced it: in an op-ed in The Washington Post on September 17, she pointed out that Muslim majorities in numerous Muslim nations (including the larger ones) are rejecting terrorism, suicide bombers and bin Laden. Moreover, recent data show that these ranks are increasing by leaps and bounds.

Security First: What Others Say

There seems to be some interest in my new book Security First; frankly it is doing better than several of my other endeavors. But never mind what I think. Here are excerpts from what others say, and links to their full texts.

Exit Iraq- A Half Thought

The debate about what next in Iraq is framed as if Iraq was an island.  Should US troops leave now or later?  Only if the Iraqis meet certain conditions?  Stay until "we win"?  Roundly ignored is that the effects of the ways the US presence in Iraq is scaled down depend greatly on a closely related decision: what the US and its allies plan to do about Iran.