Foreign Policy Blogs

Asif meets Sarah

It is neither appropriate nor polite to tell someone that he/she is ugly. Similarly, it is equally offensive to tell someone that he/she is gorgeous, even if the intent is complimentary. So, it was absolutely shocking, no other word to describe it, shocking, to hear Mr. Zardari tell Sarah Palin, John McCain's running mate that she is gorgeous, oooops!
 
Dude, even I know this is inappropriate!!!
 
I wish, I really do that our leaders go through training before they embark on international trips because if we are interested in being taken seriously, then we must know how to speak, and when we do speak, we should also know what to say, and more importantly, what not to say. With very very few exceptions, professional women (read working women) don't appreciate comments about their looks or their attire, and there is no reason to make personal comments for an official towards another official. A statment like this is just stupid and idiotic.
 
It reminded me of another star from Pakistan, Gillani,  who while visiting CFR here in the U.S. kept on saying Pakistan Army is the best in the world, without providing any evidence to support his statement. We thought he was dumb, but after Zardari's gaff, they are tied at 1 each.

Bilal Qureshi

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Bilal Qureshi

Bilal Qureshi is a resident of Washington, DC, so it is only natural that he is tremendously interested in politics. He is also fascinated by the relationship between Pakistan, the country of his birth, and the United States of America, his adopted homeland. Therefore, he makes every effort to read major newspapers in Pakistan and what is being said about Washington, while staying fully alert to the analysis and the news being reported in the American press about Pakistan. After finishing graduate school, he started using his free time to write to various papers in Pakistan in an effort to clarify whatever misconceptions he noticed in the press, especially about the United States. This pastime became a passion after his letters were published in Vanity Fair and The New Yorker and his writing became more frequent and longer. Now, he is here, writing a blog about Pakistan managed by Foreign Policy Association.

Areas of Focus:
Taliban; US-Pakistan Relations; Culture and Society

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