"In the current climate of escalating political conflicts – from U.S. trade to North Korea to the Middle East – it’s certainly worth trying. Politeness is too often mistaken for weakness"
No kidding.
I wish the West would extend this "tit-for-tat" to Islamic extremism. Extremists have returned to their western homes (hideouts?)  after fighting for the enemy, yet they are walking freely around. Many have been photographed with ISIS flags and with automatic weapons and are on propaganda videos yet they have not been charged with anything. The laws are there but they are not being applied. In the last WW people who fought for the enemy were shot. We could at least give them a token sentence in jail but we don't.
It's no wonder the enemy think we are weak.
Because we are.