Some of the signers of the open letter to Americans calling for a sensible foreign policy made individual comments that can be read online. Here are excerpts I found particularly compelling.
"I have never before experienced an administration with such callous disregard for the consequences of the use of force, the rule of law, or the need for global cooperation." Thomas J. Biersteker, Brown University"Instead of effective policies, the administration has offered what at best might be described as a placebo: a war in Iraq that distracts resources from the real security challenge of homeland security and loose nuclear material in Russia. It has pursued a policy of insult, bluster and bludgeon in the place of diplomacy, true national defense, and plain commonsense in addressing the potential threat of nuclear armed terrorists." Neta Crawford, Brown University
"A wise national security strategy demands more than toughness and persistence. It requires a grasp of vital interests, a realization that resources are inevitably limited, and a recognition that strong beliefs, sincere intentions, and great power alone do not ensure success."Avery Goldstein, University of Pennsylvania
"In a democracy, leaders who make mistakes of this magnitude get booted out of office." Chappell Lawson, MIT
"A United States, poised and armed to lead as no other major power in modern history, has squandered the opportunity. Now scarcely any will follow." Robert Legvold, Columbia University
"The American people can afford to indulge swagger over substance in some areas of our national life, but not in the area of national security." Ian Lustick, University of Pennsylvania
"The vast majority of American experts on foreign policy have been saying all along that the Bush policy in Iraq is based on myths cut from whole cloth. It's time for the media to let the American public in on this news." Jack Snyder, Columbia University
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