Quote:
Originally posted by boatin
Not sure where to go here. To call the worlds support a veneer is more cynical than I choose to be. I would have called it a great first step, with the possibility of others being taken.
When the next step is a slam in face, forward progress is reversed. Bush is either making it better, or making it worse. There is no overnight magic, the world doesn't love us completely (or hate us totally) because of one thing. It's a process.
Choosing to ignore world treaties, ignoring the geneva convention, saying things like the quote we are discussing, and other actions move us away from the worlds respect.
Nowhere do I blame bush alone for the existing problem. Nor do I say the world will embrace us if Bush leaves. But I do say no one has the impact on that relationship that the President does. And the choices he has made have not helped. And I see no reason why. Except short sightedness, and lack of understanding that it's ok for people to disagree without being disloyal.
|
What are you defining as the "slap in the face"? And who exactly was slapped?
France, Germany, Russia, et al had their own very economic reasons for going against the US invasion of Iraq? Was the slap in the face our decision not to honor their obviously biased objections?
The US acts in it's own interests as every other country does. For some reason the US is expected to act more nobly than others and risk lives and spend money to help everyone even when our interests aren't involved. The Middle East is a hotbed right now and our attempts to change the contributing factors of terrorism (targeted primarily at us) are pointed to as "evil" because we don't also go into the dozens of other countries run by brutal dictators. How many of our "allies" in the UN have been on our side for anything in the last couple of decades? When was the last time France and Germany stood up for us? Have they contributed in our times of need or have we been expected to handle it alone? The world loves us when we're there to give money and aid with no strings attached but god forbid we want anything in return. I guess I'm just not convinced that the world loves us as some claim. Too many are ready to jump and point to our errors and too few ever point to our many successes.