haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood

A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

A rising chorus of voices now forswears engagement with Iran s rulers, insisting that it is time for the regime to go.

Germany is an exception, though hardly a geostrategic heavyweight and though Japan knows the horror of nuclear war, important domestic voices there are calling for a change of its non nuclear status.

But, despite deep historical animosity over World War II, there are increasing calls in the region for Japan to expand its influence to counterbalance China.

True, such measures might come across as patronizing but such forms of public engagement are the only way to avoid making anti extremism look like extremism itself.

This has left the US not only deeply divided, but also at loggerheads with much of the rest of the world, which considers our policies high handed and arbitrary.