"We have treated our most serious adversaries, such as Iran and North Korea, in the most juvenile manner - by giving them the silent treatment. In so doing, we have weakened, not strengthened, our bargaining position and our leadership"
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Silent treatment is the kind of power move that only works on people who still need your approval. Sorensen’s jab is that Washington has tried to run geopolitical conflict like a middle-school cafeteria: ignore the “bad kids,” withhold attention, and hope they fold. The insult (“juvenile”) is doing strategic work. It reframes non-engagement not as moral seriousness or toughness, but as emotional avoidance dressed up as policy.
Sorensen, a Kennedy-era counsel steeped in Cold War statecraft, is pushing back against a recurring American fantasy: that refusing to talk is the same as refusing to concede. The subtext is sharper: diplomacy isn’t a reward; it’s an instrument. When you decline to engage Iran or North Korea, you don’t freeze them in place, you force everyone else to route around you. Adversaries seek alternative patrons, accelerate their programs, and exploit the propaganda gift of being “too dangerous to be heard.” Meanwhile allies read the silence as either confusion or performative moralizing, neither of which builds coalitions.
His claim about bargaining position goes to credibility. Negotiation leverage isn’t just sanctions or missiles; it’s the ability to set the agenda, test intentions, split factions, and signal clear off-ramps. Silence forfeits those tools and turns “leadership” into posture: loud declarations with no channel to translate threats into outcomes. Sorensen’s intent is pragmatic, not sentimental. He’s arguing that engagement can be hard-nosed precisely because it treats rivals as consequential actors, not tantrum-worthy irritants.
Sorensen, a Kennedy-era counsel steeped in Cold War statecraft, is pushing back against a recurring American fantasy: that refusing to talk is the same as refusing to concede. The subtext is sharper: diplomacy isn’t a reward; it’s an instrument. When you decline to engage Iran or North Korea, you don’t freeze them in place, you force everyone else to route around you. Adversaries seek alternative patrons, accelerate their programs, and exploit the propaganda gift of being “too dangerous to be heard.” Meanwhile allies read the silence as either confusion or performative moralizing, neither of which builds coalitions.
His claim about bargaining position goes to credibility. Negotiation leverage isn’t just sanctions or missiles; it’s the ability to set the agenda, test intentions, split factions, and signal clear off-ramps. Silence forfeits those tools and turns “leadership” into posture: loud declarations with no channel to translate threats into outcomes. Sorensen’s intent is pragmatic, not sentimental. He’s arguing that engagement can be hard-nosed precisely because it treats rivals as consequential actors, not tantrum-worthy irritants.
Quote Details
| Topic | Leadership |
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