I see the war on terror as only having human souls for borders and battle fronts. Traditional boundaries are less and less important. France, sure it's politically a danger to us now. But there are good French people -- plenty of good French people. I'm interesting in bringing the undecided ones to our side and keeping the committed ones with us. As I've said before, I am more worried about the Vishy Americans than the undecided French.
Seriously, I wholeheartedly agree with your statement.
That's why I think it's lunacy not to start forging alliances with like-minded people (or at the very least, people who have overlapping interests at stake), who can help our cause.
I think we need to start arming every potential ally with every single tool in our vast arsenal of democracy-building weaponry.
That includes the restive Shiites in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the brave student dissidents in Iran, the long-oppressed Kurds of Syria and Iraq, and the masses of disenfranchised Catholics/Eastern Rite Christians living under occupation in Egypt, Chad, Sudan, Lebanon and Egypt.