POLITICO – Joshua Foust on Insensitive Political Rhetoric
Source: Politico, 10/18/2011
ASP Fellow Joshua Foust is quoted.
Excerpt:
“…He could have found a less relevant country. As Joshua Foust writes from neighboring Kyrgyzstan, the U.S. relationship with Uzbekistan is an important part of a strategy for a region that includes Afghanistan and Pakistan.
And Carolyn Lamm, head of the American Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce, blasted Cain’s comments.
“Anyone who’s going to lead our country needs to know about our important foreign relationships,” she said.
“U.S. business in Uzbekistan is very important, some of our top companies are doing excellent business there, including Boeing and Case New Holland,” Lamm said. “It does enhance jobs in the United States. So it’s incorrect to think that it doesn’t, and really a conversation with any of our members would probably tell you in great detail why that is and how that is.”
Wrote Foust, “Cain is correct to be dismissive of the petty “gotcha” questions reporters will ask him. I wouldn’t blame him for not knowing the current President of Chechnya like Candidate Bush 11 years ago. But if Cain is to argue that some countries aren’t important to America – a sensible thing – he should at least figure out which countries are important. Uzbekistan is surely one of them…”
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