Indifference to World Opinion Makes U.S. Leadership Dependent on Military Might
 
 By William Pfaff
 
 The evident assumption of President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is that while it is agreeable to be admired and respected abroad, it is better to be feared and obeyed. There is something to be said for that opinion. But put into practice, it can result in increased hostilities worldwide. Granted, the defeat of Islamic radicalism in Afghanistan dealt a real blow to the notion that fundamentalism has a great destiny. But political and cultural differences were behind the September 11 terrorist attacks, and the U.S. cannot afford to maintain the same indifference to the opinions of others that it has exhibited with respect to global warming, spying, racism, the U.N., war crimes tribunals, land-mine bans and trade conflicts.