Nathan Cheiman evidently believes “real politick” should be the premise of SA’s foreign policy, and that we should cosy up to the world’s bullies. But are gangsters who lie, cheat and steal really the sort of friends Cheiman wants SA to cultivate (“Wrong Sort of Friends,” April 24)? US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, a former director of the CIA, on April 22 inadvertently but revealingly described US foreign policy and practice as “we lie, we cheat, we steal”. In blatant violation of international law, the CIA has instigated “regime change” in more than 80 countries since 1953. Under Donald Trump the US has now “declared war” on Venezuela and Iran, and intends on May 2 to declare “financial war” against China, Japan, India, South Korea and Turkey because they persist in buying oil from Iran. In contrast to incessant lies by Trump and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu that Iran is a threat to world peace, even the CIA acknowledges that Iran abandoned its nuclear weapons ambitions as long ...
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