Friendship among nations usually takes the shape of treaties and alliances, so it is arresting to observe the genuine article from time to time: Anwar Sadat's attentiveness to the Shah, for recent example, or Canada's rescue of U.S. embassy personnel in Iran. Hard hearts like La Rochefoucauld demean such acts as "species of commerce," as debts paid or incurred. Yet most people saw Canada's courage and Sadat's ministrations simply as exertions of affection over inconvenience. And it is fascinating to note the effects that such acts always have on us, how quickly they...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
