September 29, 2009
The headline in the New York Times says all you need to know about the effects of President Obama's attempts to get the scoundrels of the world to respond to his personality outreach: "Warmer U.S.-Russian Relations May Yield Little in Action toward Iran."
The U.S. will be represented in Geneva on Thursday by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She will be trying to bring unity of purpose in opposing Iran's nuclear weapons program.
It won't work because Iran's fanatical religious leaders believe they have a duty to acquire nukes. That's because they believe they have a religious mandate to wipe out Israel.
Nations have interests. They don't respond well to nice manners from free nations, especially when those approaches conflict with their interests. Where did we get the idea that being nice to tyrants, or even threatening them with sanctions, will make them be nice to us? It certainly isn't from history, which teaches just the opposite.
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.
