Global Respect

Thank you for sharing this. God knows when you have been an international 'joke' as much as the U.S. has been, that at some point you'd think we'd start to loose some of our clout. I am glad to see it. I think it is high time, we got off our high horse and faced the reality that we are not the only country in the world that matters, and that our ideals may not be in the best intrest of the world, or ourselves for that matter.

I am, about certain specific issues, embarrassed to be an American. We really have stooped to the opitome of ethnocentric pettiness, and even in a country of so many cultures and ethnic groups, that are finally, now gaining the social standings they deserve.
 
You seem awfully eager to abdicate your freedom to a Eurocentric view of the world.

Europeans have such an enlightened record.

No peace. Ever.

BUT WE ARE WARMONGERS!

They lost the ability to control thw world as individuals,

So now, they band together to have thier way!

But we are still evil colonialist and world meddlers!

They established slavery in America.

And now,

LOVE TO CALL US RASCISTS!

Yeah,

I'm in a real hurry to turn evrything over to Europe!
 
well, it Would be nice if....

the US would pay our bill...


and maybe do something about that land mine treaty.... ya know....




.....like Sign It......
 
You are damned if you do, damned if you don't.
If you withdraw, you abandon allies, you piss off the globalists, etc.
If you don't you are a colonial warmonger, etc.
How can you please a world as diverse as ours.
The UN is pissing up a rope.

(and I think the EC too, but time will tell).
 
The debate won't get very far along an either / or axis. Is it really such a simple choice? If it is then we're not as clever as we'd maybe like to think after all ...
 
Yes lavender...

...I do think that America is being led into isolationism under Bush. Not necessarily because that's what he wants but rather because his knowledge of the shifting emphasis of the US role in the world and the rapid changes being made in the realignment of world blocs, seems to have escaped him. I don't believe it has (nobody in his position could be that foolish) but that's the impression he gives when he persistently sticks to Party dogma not looking up to see what's happening around him.

So far he hasn't done too well on the world stage. And yet the response from the American Government at their non election to the UN committee is to threaten to withold money from the organisation which it owes anyway. I would have thought that this is an ideal time for Bush to start rethinking his idea on how the world runs nowadays and to start building bridges without the bluster.

The fact that his campaign was largely funded by global companies (or so I believe) doesn't put him in a very strong position to carry out any policies that may change the world's view of him.

In Europe this problem was foreseen and one little known role the European Union has is to act as broker between governments and business to ensure that any conflict between political and commercial policies are minimised. It works that way because both sides realise and understand the world we live in. Both sides want economic strength. Any problems arising on the way have to be solved.

America unfortunately has no such place to turn. It must stand or fall on what it can broker for itself. That can be a difficult role for anyone to have. It's time to make friends and consolidate alliances not cause distrust and alienation.

I would hate to see America turn in on itself. Your country is capable of doing many more great things than you have at present, and Lord knows the rest of us can only hold you in awe at what you've accomplished so far. But Bush, unless he changes dramatically, will only be pushed further down the isolationist road.

At this stage of his administration he hasn't shown the strength that is needed, only the rhetoric, which is not.
 
Re: well, it Would be nice if....

MinkSoul said:
the US would pay our bill...



Fine, we'll pay the one billion and they can pay us the 11 billion we spent on international peacekeeping efforts between 1992 and 1997.

And I assume you are volunteering for duty in Korea when we trash the land mines?
 
Re: Re: well, it Would be nice if....

WriterDom said:
MinkSoul said:
the US would pay our bill...



Fine, we'll pay the one billion and they can pay us the 11 billion we spent on international peacekeeping efforts between 1992 and 1997

I must have missed something there. I don't recall the UN agreeing to pay the US anything for carrying out a peacekeeping role.
 
Yes, the EU envisions quite a few hidden, little known roles for itself, just like you guys used to try to do individually.

It is just what y'all are up to this time that has Americans a little nervous as to your real intentions.
 
I can't see your problem...

Andra_Jenny said:
Yes, the EU envisions quite a few hidden, little known roles for itself, just like you guys used to try to do individually.

It is just what y'all are up to this time that has Americans a little nervous as to your real intentions.

Our real intentions have always been known and that is to form ourselves into a strong economic block and eventually, maybe, a united nation.

Not in America's interest perhaps but that's why I keep going on about raising your head above the parapets and see what's going on in the world.
 
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