NationStates Jolt Archive

Yes.. or no?

Generally I think not.

Yup.

Well...an acquaintance anyway.

not friend, but perhaps temporary ally.

If fear is your enemy, fear's enemy would be security, and security is definitely my friend......

There are many ways this question could be viewed....

I wouldn't say he's my friend, but a possible ally.

I don't know my enemy's enemies. How would I come to know them? It's not like I hang out with my enemy... and he certainly wouldn't introduce me to them.

This question is moot.

It would depend. The enemy of my enemy might also be my enemy.

not friend, but perhaps temporary ally.
Till they come back and bite you on the arse. :p

This question is moot.

It's a very generalised question:upyours:

But yes, you have a point. However that is not always the case, for example, it could be that your enemy is because of racial hatred, and therefore you may automatically know of others who hate.

It would depend. The enemy of my enemy might also be my enemy.


Wouldn't my enemies' enemy be myself? Then I would be my own enemy, thereby eliminating the need for extrapersonal enemies.

It's a very generalised question:upyours:

But yes, you have a point. However that is not always the case, for example, it could be that your enemy is because of racial hatred, and therefore you may automatically know of others who hate.
What? your enemy is what..?
Cool emoticon.

EDIT: I'll help you... a Paki, N*gger, USian, french....?

Wouldn't my enemies' enemy be myself? Then I would be my own enemy, thereby eliminating the need for extrapersonal enemies.
Quite possibly the greatest logic i've seen all day...even if it is a little....backwards....but nonetheless awesome. Props.

;)

Wouldn't my enemies' enemy be myself? Then I would be my own enemy, thereby eliminating the need for extrapersonal enemies.

Sure you can be your own enemy. But your enemies enemy could still be hostile to your interests as well.

Quite possibly the greatest logic i've seen all day...even if it is a little....backwards....but nonetheless awesome. Props.

;)
This has nothing to do with anything, but I just wanted to say; cool name Misunderestimates. Make the pie higher!

An enemy is (broadly said) someone who's interests do not coincide with your own.

That may mean two things:
a) Your enemies' enemy has the same interest as you, namely defeating your common enemy, and that's it. In that case "temporary ally" is a good way to describe it.

b) But that is rather unlikely. Chances are your enemies' enemy has his/her own interests that may differ from yours quite dramatically. In which case your enemies' enemy could really be your enemy as well, even though a little part of the two interests coincide.

So I say: No.

Stick to your own interests and principles. Agree with who agrees with them, disagree with who disagrees with them. No more, no less.

Quite possibly the greatest logic i've seen all day...even if it is a little....backwards....but nonetheless awesome. Props.

;)


Many thanks.

The real question is "Is my Enemy's Friend my Enemy? And if so, what does that make my Enemy's Enemy's Friend's Enemy's Boss' Enemy's Friend's Enemy?"

Stick to your own interests and principles. Agree with who agrees with them, disagree with who disagrees with them. No more, no less.
Heumph! So you are a conserv.... what does that make a person!?.... partisan!?! Whatever... sounds cool. I will definately view the conversations differently now.

My enemy's enemy can definatly be my enemy.

If Bush is my enemy, and Islamic extremists are also enemys' of Bush, the extremists are still not my friends.

"The enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy. No more, no less." Rule 29.

+5 points if you recognize the quote.

Of course they are. Didn't those fine soviets help us out against the evil Nazis? And didn't those fine Muslim fanatics help us out against those evil soviets? Even today those fine dictatorships are helping us out against those evil Muslim fanatics. Thank God we have friend like all of them.

Yes.. or no?

Generally I think not.

The enemy of my enemy is a potential ally to be used in certain situations to accomplish specific goals.

However, that's way too complicated to use for a catchy phrase, so friend is close enough.

Yes. The rest of you think WAY too much:-)

No. My enemies include Christian fundamentalists but one of their enemies, Nietzsche, is also my enemy, so obviously not.

No. My enemies include Christian fundamentalists but one of their enemies, Nietzsche, is also my enemy, so obviously not.

Have you a bet on to mention "Nietzsche" at least once in every post for seven weeks?

Usually no. They are the people you work with to destroy a common enemy and then either turn on or distance yourself from afterwards.

No. Never.

Best example: in the 1980s, US and Islamic fudamentalists unite against the Soviet Union. Then scarcely 5 years after the fall of Communism both are already locked in a volatile struggle against each other.

Everybody has their own agenda.

The correct answer is "not necessarily". Sometimes the enemy of my enemy can be my friend, or at least a convenient ally (which isn't quite the same thing). For example, the US and USSR were allies against Nazi Germany. Nobody would call them "friends", but they at least were able to cooperate to some degree against their common enemy. Likewise, the US assisted Saddam Hussein's Iraq against the Ayatollah Khomeini's Iran for a time, for the arguably good reason that it was a good way to keep both of those nations busy, and therefore out of other potential mischief.

On the other hand, Iran doesn't like the US, and doesn't much care for Osama bin Laden either. No two of them are likely to ally against the third any time soon. Common enemies don't always guarantee cooperation.

:p

Heumph! So you are a conserv.... what does that make a person!?.... partisan!?! Whatever... sounds cool. I will definately view the conversations differently now.
I'm not sure I understand...I was thinking more in Politics - it's kinda hard to keep Osama Bin Laden out of my head in a topic like this.

My principles and interests don't have to be conservative ones though. They can be very progressive, and they can also be to let everyone do as they please. The approach to deal with people who disagree doesn't really change. And as for "partisan-ness"...well, I'm still not completely sure whether not everyone is partisan one way or another - maybe it's human nature to want to agree with friends and disagree with enemies regardless of who might be right.

In a simple discussion forum, everyone should argue a bit and in the end we hopefully approach some sort of middle ground.

I'm... SNIP!...ground.
Yeah, I'm (and was) aware of all that. You want a smiley of some sort now?

Yeah, I'm (and was) aware of all that. You want a smiley of some sort now?
Please. :)

;)