Pretty much. When it comes to international relations one must always tread carefully.
A scene from Yes, Prime Minister might help illustrate the point. Jim Hacker (the Prime Minister) is talking to Sir Humphrey Appleby (Cabinet Secretary) about a nurse caught with a bottle of whiskey in the fictional Middle Eastern country of Kumran, and sentenced to 40 lashes.
Jim: This is very worrying. There's a lot of public sympathy.
Humphrey: I'm sure the Foreign Secretary will advise you.
Jim: He advises me to do nothing.
Humphrey: I'm sure that's good advice.
Jim: Humphrey, we must do something.
Humphrey: The Kumranis are good friends of Britain. They placed a huge defense contract with us, they tell us about the Soviets in Iraq, they even sabotage OPEC agreements for us. We can't afford to upset them.
Jim: I know, but a British national is facing a barbaric punishment for a trivial offense. The Foreign Office is there to protect British nationals.
Humphrey: To protect British interests.
Jim: It's not in her interest to be flogged.
Humphrey: It's not in ours to prevent it.
Jim: This could hurt the government very badly.
Humphrey: Well, I understand that tomorrow the Foreign Secretary will deliver a strong note of protest.
Jim: Why can't he do it now?
Humphrey: We haven't got their agreement yet! We're seeing the ambassador privately now. Once they approve the wording, we hand it over. Then we'll have done all we can.
Jim: Very heartless.
Humphrey: It's safer to be heartless than mindless. History is the triumph of the heartless over the mindless.
A scene from Yes, Prime Minister might help illustrate the point. Jim Hacker (the Prime Minister) is talking to Sir Humphrey Appleby (Cabinet Secretary) about a nurse caught with a bottle of whiskey in the fictional Middle Eastern country of Kumran, and sentenced to 40 lashes.
Jim: This is very worrying. There's a lot of public sympathy.
Humphrey: I'm sure the Foreign Secretary will advise you.
Jim: He advises me to do nothing.
Humphrey: I'm sure that's good advice.
Jim: Humphrey, we must do something.
Humphrey: The Kumranis are good friends of Britain. They placed a huge defense contract with us, they tell us about the Soviets in Iraq, they even sabotage OPEC agreements for us. We can't afford to upset them.
Jim: I know, but a British national is facing a barbaric punishment for a trivial offense. The Foreign Office is there to protect British nationals.
Humphrey: To protect British interests.
Jim: It's not in her interest to be flogged.
Humphrey: It's not in ours to prevent it.
Jim: This could hurt the government very badly.
Humphrey: Well, I understand that tomorrow the Foreign Secretary will deliver a strong note of protest.
Jim: Why can't he do it now?
Humphrey: We haven't got their agreement yet! We're seeing the ambassador privately now. Once they approve the wording, we hand it over. Then we'll have done all we can.
Jim: Very heartless.
Humphrey: It's safer to be heartless than mindless. History is the triumph of the heartless over the mindless.