Two or three thoughts here:

1) It strikes me forcibly that this is a metaphor for relations between two neighboring countries. Punitive retaliatory actions don't seem to work, do they, whether it is Israel and Palestine or India and Pakistan or - you get the idea.

2) My reaction is the same as Sorcha's. An enemy made into a friend benefits both. The more mature of the two should be able to figure out ways to do it. Diplomacy should trump violence.

3) I am sure most of us have had interactions of the sort. I know that I have. In fact, the worst of the experiences was with a retired state official. At the time I was caretaker of a state-owned house museum with large yards.

Every day in his constitutional this elderly neighbor walked briskly past my home 20 times - he was counting - trailed by his dog.

Every day the dog did her business in my yard and the neighbor never picked it up even though I had placed a receptacle complete with bags at the side of the house. Every day I had to pick it up myself.

In Juneau, the ordinance is clear, and one day I asked the man if he would please pick it up. He refused. I reminded him that it is the law. He harrumphed.   

Several days of this ensued. I even walked alongside him at one point insisting that it was his civic duty. He called me a "Dog Nazi". I started chasing his dog out of my yard as soon as she set foot in it. She still pooped in it when she could.

Eventually the humor of it struck me and I decided that I was accomplishing nothing but upsetting myself and I started picking it up without comment.

Time passed and one day as I was walking my dog past his house (believe me, it was a temptation to allow my dog to do the same business on his property!) the man was just getting out of his car and I complimented him on the article he had written in the local paper concerning early Juneau history.

He responded pleasantly- and we have had cordial relations ever since. He put his dog on a lead.