Word: diplomatized
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...which struck some American politicians as a military adaptation of Muhammad Ali's "rope-a- dope" ring strategy: bob, weave, dance and duck until the opponent tires himself out chasing an elusive target; then hit hard. Saddam, in fact, has supposedly used very nearly those words. Says an Arab diplomat in Amman: "Before the war, he was telling everyone, 'We know that the first strike will be for the benefit of the U.S. But we are prepared for them to hit us for two or three weeks. After that, it is our turn.' Saddam's effort will...
...SUPPOSE my proclivity for neutrality--or passivity, if that's a better word--has a lot to do with my personality. On the playground, I was the peace-maker who kept the bullies at bay. At home, I was the diplomat who made sure Mom and Dad always got along. I wouldn't take sides in disputes; I'd just make sure they got resolved so that everyone could be friends again...
...satellites once again, but they are nervously aware that the Soviet army has not yet gone home. There are 360,000 Soviet troops in Germany, 50,000 in Poland, 15,000 in Czechoslovakia and 20,000 in Hungary. "They might decide to 'reinforce' them," frets a senior Hungarian diplomat. Last week Warsaw anxiously asked Moscow to pull its forces out by the end of this year, but the Kremlin balked, saying the forces must remain until its troops in Germany have returned home. The Czechoslovak government ordered 20,000 troops to its border with the Soviet Union...
Gorbachev, who is more dependent on Western aid than ever now that perestroika has broken down, must feel the need to reassure the West. In one offering, he appointed Alexander Bessmertnykh, a smooth professional diplomat serving as ambassador to the U.S. since last May, to succeed Shevardnadze as Foreign Minister. Bessmertnykh is considered a liberal but not one with great political influence in the Kremlin. "He'll be a soothing hand to hold," said a U.S. official, "but he probably won't have much authority." The new minister quickly stressed the continuity of Moscow's policy: "It will be preserved...
...everyone agrees. "It's possible that the West can work with Assad to make a better Mideast," says a senior Western diplomat in Damascus. What is not in dispute is the notion that, with or without the West's friendship, Assad would jump at the chance to become the unrivaled leader of the Pan- Arabists following Saddam's fall. Considering Assad's success in asserting Syrian control over Lebanon late last year, his room to maneuver already appears greater than it was before the crisis erupted...