[Jonathan Nolasco]

Michelle, your post raises an important question about how the U.S should try to “help” in a context that may not always be receptive to those efforts. After the U.S wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think many Americans are increasingly skeptical about the U.S’s ability to actually create positive change abroad, particularly in the Near East. You rightly note that we should recognize the limits of our ability to change others. But I wonder how the U.S can think of creative ways to effectively promote positive change in spite of those limits.