Lacking cultural affinity with a client state weakens a power’s ability to pressure it.

Evidence

Unlike Russia and Germany, the United States lacked cultural commonality with its Bosnian client and hence was in a weak position to pressure the Muslims to compromise. In addition, apart from rhetoric, the United States only helped the Bosnians by turning a blind eye to the violations of the arms embargo by Iran and other Muslim states. The Bosnian Muslims, consequently, felt increasingly grateful to and increasingly identified with the broader Islamic community. Simultaneously they denounced the United States for pursuing a “double standard” and not repelling the aggression against them as it had against Kuwait. Their wrapping themselves in the victim guise made it still more difficult for the United States to pressure them to be accommodating. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 820 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Lacking cultural commonality with a client state weakens great-power leverage over it — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 820

Broader Connections

• Lacking cultural commonality with a client state weakens great-power leverage over it #expands (0.98) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 820