It’s my understanding, albeit limited, that the cultures of Saudia Arabia and others in the area are fairly paternalistic. They may be used to operating in places with diffirent views, but that idea would still be there, however hidden. Given this, would sending a male rep be a “better” choice instead of Condi, as far as this cultural bias?
And no, I’m not being sexist. Just wondering if this affects their interaction with her, even subliminally? If I’m full of crap, feel free to say so.
Even accepting those premises, “better” would assume the Bush administration is seriously seeking progress. If Ms. Rice’s efforts are only a charade, her gender and effectiveness don’t matter.
Condi is in the proper position to deal with them. She is our Secretary of State, and, as far as diplomacy is concerned, the second most important person in the Bush administration. In fact, she is the most effective one, being the person whose job it is to conduct diplomacy. Sending someone lesser would be an insult. As for her sex?
First, that’s their problem. If they don’t see the United States Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force, followed by Coke, Shell, Exxon, Disney and Microsoft, every time they look at her, and take her words seriously, they’re bigger fools than I thought.
Secondly, she’s tough, she can deal with that.
But it’d be interesting to see what John “There is no basis for peace in the Middle East now” Bolton could do if given a free hand in working the conflict.
This subject really bugs me. It’s like when some old goat doesn’t want the status quo to change, whether it was to admit blacks, women, and out gays to the military, they say that “America isn’t ready for _____ (fill in the blank)”. When has society ever been ready for massive social changes? If we waited for America to be ready for anything, we’d be waiting forever because someone, somewhere, won’t like what’s happening. As far as middle eastern countries not accepting Condoleeza Rice, that’s their tough beans.
Given that both sides can cite grievances that go back centuries, if not millenia, I don’t believe the sex of an intermediary is going to make a bit of difference.