The persistent belief that training and equipping foreign troops imbues them with American political and ethical values, making them allies of the United States, offers another sign of innocence.

Innocents Abroad Build Foreign Armies

by Daniel Pipes

In the near-century that the United States has been a great power, it has developed some original and sophisticated foreign policy tools. Examples include the Marshall Plan, special forces, and satellite imaging. At the same time, the country's naiveté remains firmly in place. For example, the notion persists that government staff are "particularly qualified to [handle a problem] because they knew nothing about it." (For details, see my analysis at "American Know-Nothing Diplomacy.")

The persistent belief that training and equipping foreign troops imbues them with American political and ethical values, making them allies of the United States, offers another sign of innocence. Some examples of this delusional policy in recent decades:

Lebanon: ....
Afghanistan: ....
Mali: ...
Palestinian Authority: ...
...

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