Jesus’ advice, offered as part of the Sermon on the Mount, could not be more straightforward: “Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also” (Matthew 5:39). This admonition, which is popular in many societies, is often adhered to—but, as we observe in the worldwide press, not everywhere and not in all circumstances. For example, nations regularly fail to follow this procedure in their diplomacy: “As a result,” declared the Mexican ambassador to the United States, “after more than a decade of dialogue in which Mexico has asked for nothing […]
