| I think respect might not be the correct wording, how about just not under-estimating the enemy?
It is kinda tricky however, we did not under-estimate Saddam and in that case we perhaps should have, where as under-estimating Bin Laden (or his god) might have been one of our nation's biggest misstakes.
I think our government respects North Korea because they seem to have some power, perhaps real nuclear weopons and certainally a large and well-trained miltary.
Rumfield under-estimated the anti-occupation protesters in Iraq, which resulted in a big mess during the pre-estimated post-war reconstruction stage.
The word respect means "you are as good as we are, as worthy as we are, and worth listening too". Now we should not respect people who take hostages and behead them, or those who conduct sneak attacks on non-military targets by surprise.
But by the best of our ability we should estimate developing situations correctly, and if possible, not to under-esitmate a possible or real enemy, but also not over-estimating a threat and attacking someone in a premptive way based on a wrong estimation. Got get it right on the target.
Technosoul, |