European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 03, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes tuesday september 3, 1985 columns William Safire conf Rad of on in our dealing with Moscow Pretoria How can doves who urged de Tente with the soviet Union despite slave labor in the gulag oppose constructive engagement with South Afri Ca where repression is real but at a tar lower order of magnitude mow can those Hawks who rail at the Reagan state department for refusing to use economic warfare against the soviet threat oppose the use of economic leverage against the Whites in Pretoria who pursue a policy we consider repugnant those two questions should offend nearly everyone. And if you enjoy the cognitive dissonance that comes with try ing to hold contradictory beliefs at the ume time try this How can defenders of Israel s right to Judea and Samaria where arabs outnumber jews 10 to 1, Call for one Man one vote in South Africa where nonwhites outnumber Whites four to one part of the american agony Over policy toward Pretoria is the exposure of our internal inconsistencies. Our reactions Are not neatly programmed. The knee docs not Jerk. We need not sink into the sea of ambiguity nor must we line up behind either Bishop Tutu or Jerry Falwell. We do have to face the complexities of our choices by examining a few of our mind sets. 1. What an our goals we want the russians to Stow Down their arms build up ease up on dissidents and Stop the Export of communism. We want the South africans to end apartheid and gradually evolve majority Rule without the usual african totalitarian takeover. We want israelis and arabs to work out. Face to face a form of autonomy for arabs living on Israel s West Bank land. Those arc my foreign policy goals. Yours May differ 2. Do we operate on the belief that the end justifies the Means or that the Means become the ends neither we have to operate in Between. In our David Broder policy toward the russians that Means we must in crease our human rights pressure and maintain our arms parity but at the same time probe at summits for arms control deals such As on site inspection or Star wars defense cooperation. Similarly in South Africa we cannot demand the release of leaders who Call for the violent overthrow of the White government for that would result in the ends of a greater evil As we have seen in Iran and in Nicaragua. At the same time we must press for Relief from apartheid and for negotiations with Black apostles of nonviolence. In the Middle East we have less of a moral dilemma because we can urge democratic Means the offer of israeli or jordanian citizenship to arabs on Israel s Side of the Jordan in Pursuit of a Good end which is a democratic state in which an Arab minority has More Freedom than anywhere in the Arab world. This sort of on the other hand stuff wholly satisfies neither moralist nor go cynics but has the Virtues of consistency and moral differentiation. 3. Should we use economic pressure to accomplish our goals i say yes. The Reagan administration says no. Hypocrites say yes to one and onto the other sell a rope to the re Uitz but pull our capital out of South Africa say the doves who Are so Tough on anti communist regimes. Deny economic Succour to russian but keep dealing with the government in pit Todl whose policy is anathema to dcmocrtcje4" say Hawks so tender to allies who Taka oar help and reject our guidance. President Reagan is at least cot Sis tent As he plans to veto a Chota against Pretoria he sends his Agricot tuft Secretary to Moscow to beg for to Chance to help a repressive regime avoid the anger of its Consumers. He does not tie Aid to Israel to the needed separation of politicians from the Money print in press nor docs he defend us from japanese Trade put a tons. I would urge the opposite in every Case. The recent cot lapse of the South african Rand shows what simple capital nervousness can do without disinvestment crusades or offi Cial is. Economic pressure. If we wanted we could Fie our muscle in ways that would make both major world told producers the . And the Republic of South Africa feel the Pinch of american displeasure. The Arn Meh that we would be hurting ourselves More is Long on name America first and Short on real world ism. What of the argument that economic heat makes the recipient Only More recalcitrant that May be True. First but it s untrue in the Long run provided we have Iba patience and the will to pursue our goals. Step one is to Stop thinking of ourselves As helpless. C new York Tom to what happened of the principle of accountability at a time when the United states is increasingly preoccupied with the economic Challenge from Japan i have been thinking hard about one aspect of the tragedy that killed 520 people in the crash last month of i Japan air Lino plane. What has lodged in my mind were two paragraphs far Down in the Story John Burgess hied to the Washington Post three Days after the crash Japan air lines president Yasumoto Takagi announced tonight that he in tended to resign As soon As the situation has settled Down he told reporters 1 want to take responsibility such Resig nations Are common in the japanese Busi Ness and political world where leaders Are held to have ultimate responsibility for All acts of their subordinates. I wonder if there is not a lesson for us in the Way that the japanese airline executive responded and the contrast to our Way of handling such matters. This is not an exercise of Finger pointing. I am not thinking of the specific contrast to the Delta airlines crash at Dallas fort Worth Airport a few Days earlier or in the Succes Sion of accidents that have befallen Union Carbide at Iti Plant in Institute w. Va., since the disaster last year with the same company s subsidiary in by Opal India. The top executives of those companies Are still in place but my Point is a broader one. 1 wonder if we have not lost the whole concept of accountability at the top and with it a sense of self discipline and organizational discipline that is essential Ina competitive world. On several occasions in the past going Back to the Vietnam War period i have written about the loss of the healthy tradition of a resignation on  people simply have forgotten How to wit their jobs when they find themselves in Strong disagreement with the policy they Are being asked to carry out. Cyrus Vance provided a rare exception to this Rule when he quit As Jimmy car Ter s Secretary of state rather than attempt to i unify the aborted iranian hostage res Cue Effort which he had opposed in the private councils of the administration but today i am talking about a different kind of resignation the kind that is offered voluntarily by the head of an organization when there has been a costly damaging failure of performance by his Organiza Tion. The examples that come to mind unfortunately All involved people from coun tries other than our own. Takagi is one another notable one was provided by lord Carrington Britain s foreign Secretary Hven though he was a favorite of prime minister Margaret Thatcher and a Man of great ability Carrington resigned the Day f j i i .ar8entmes i the Falk land islands. His ministry was responsible for these a i i �fh.? lands Anir a the diplomacy that had failed to save them from invasion so he stepped Down. It was As simple As contrast that with the pattern of evasion procrastination and repudiation of responsibility we see so often by senior officials both the private sector and government in this country. The Vcra Rve principle Here often seems to be tint if it always somebody else s fault. The pattern is not confined to one Busi Ness one party or one administration bit present government has been As Rajul in denying any sense of personal in con ability As any i can remember. This a the first administration that Wesr ated having an indicted person Funer Secretary of labor Raymond j. Doom Rin. Retain a position in the Cabinet the bit of those who fought to stay in their jobs Oatt with the president s indulgence Long Afu their unethical behaviour incompetence or chicanery had been exposed is Len Plaj enough to fill this Page. President Reagan himself damaged the principle of accountability in the 11 formed services by claiming personal responsibility for the deaths of the Marina in the Beirut Barracks bombing. That bit of premature grandstanding on his part prevented the marines from dealing wits the incident within their own Chain of command As they would otherwise Hare done. It damaged the system of accountability which All the armed services believe is essential to their own discipline and performance. The relevance of All this to the controversy about the  Trade imbalance a controversy that is sure to intensify when Congress returns is evident we cannot compete unless we get Tough and the place we must get Tough first be with ourselves. Leaders must set an exam ple. And the example now being set by leaders in the United Stales both in Juv Ern ment and in business is just not gob enough. C Wai Winolon Pott