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SecretMethod70 · 07-13-2007, 05:19 PM

Regarding conflicts as the result of US/USSR interference, you're right that there are many. But you're missing the point if you think what I'm talking about has anything to do with America (not) allowing other places to exist in peace. As I alluded to in my previous post, if America were to become fully uninvolved in Asia-Pacific, the region would likely devolve into war in a fairly short period of time. This doesn't mean that America is currently using its hegemonic power wisely, or even that it uses it wisely more often than not, but it does mean that the presence of an American hegemony is an important factor not only in terms of American interests, but in terms of the region's interests as well. After all, the whole point of hegemony is that it involves a certain degree of consent from the subordinate group(s). You're mistaking the Bush administration's lack of understanding the importance of soft power (Rumsfeld, after all, has flat-out stated, "I don’t know what [soft power] means") as meaning all American power is bad. Rather, like it or not, due to America's position in the world - both literally and figuratively - we now have a lot of responsibility, and the Bush administrations inability to live up to that responsibility does not automatically mean that we should, as a whole, not have it. It just means we need to think more carefully about who we elect to be in charge of it.

07-13-2007, 05:19 PM	#12 (permalink)
SecretMethod70 Human Administrator Location: Chicago	Regarding conflicts as the result of US/USSR interference, you're right that there are many. But you're missing the point if you think what I'm talking about has anything to do with America (not) allowing other places to exist in peace. As I alluded to in my previous post, if America were to become fully uninvolved in Asia-Pacific, the region would likely devolve into war in a fairly short period of time. This doesn't mean that America is currently using its hegemonic power wisely, or even that it uses it wisely more often than not, but it does mean that the presence of an American hegemony is an important factor not only in terms of American interests, but in terms of the region's interests as well. After all, the whole point of hegemony is that it involves a certain degree of consent from the subordinate group(s). You're mistaking the Bush administration's lack of understanding the importance of soft power (Rumsfeld, after all, has flat-out stated, "I don’t know what [soft power] means") as meaning all American power is bad. Rather, like it or not, due to America's position in the world - both literally and figuratively - we now have a lot of responsibility, and the Bush administrations inability to live up to that responsibility does not automatically mean that we should, as a whole, not have it. It just means we need to think more carefully about who we elect to be in charge of it. __________________ Le temps détruit tout "Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling Last edited by SecretMethod70; 07-13-2007 at 05:27 PM..