The Pattern of U.S. Foreign Policy

By the end of the Bush Administration, we could be faced with a string of foreign policy problems across the Islamic world all significantly more serious than they are today (e.g., Iraq, Somalia, Lebanon, Palestine). Not least could be Pakistan. One possible scenario is a popular Pakistani revolt against the military, with the pro-democratic forces joining the Taliban against the U.S.-supported military-intelligence complex that runs the Pakistani dictatorship. Alternatively, the military dictatorship may consolidate its control, persuading the generals that they will have a free hand to continue their 20-year-long campaign of passing nuclear weapons technology around the world. 
Washington’s approach seems to be military force (vis-à-vis Iraq, Somalia, Hamas); military dictatorship (vis-à-vis Pakistan, Israeli control over Palestine); and no compromise (vis-à-vis Hezballah, Hamas, Islamic Courts Union, Iran). Is this approach working or do we need a fundamentally different way of behaving toward the world?

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