while i'll agree that there's plenty of mis-educated (with a very liberal definition of that word), i must remind you that criticizing action made by the american government isn't anti-american, particularly if they're made in the hopes of perpetuating american ideals such as liberty and democracy. the argument that any criticisms of our government is antiamerican is exactly how germans kept people in line.
It is when it's the just the Americans doing the heavy lifting being and being criticized for it while all other governments stand on the sidelines. Seldom, especially on the Left, do i see blame attached to where it's deserved. Americans will be held responsible for "creating" Osama bin laden rather than blaming the actual perpetrator himself. This is just one example but there are scores like it. And criticizing those who disagree with you as "German" is nonsense. You're saying your piece and I'm saying mine..
of course we can't claim that this is entirely the fault of americans, mubarak himself is egyption in fact.
Quite
however as americans we should take a critical look at the results of our actions around the world.
And if you did take a serious look at Americans actions around the world you, as an American, should be very pleased and proud.
the tentacles of the US spread all over the place, so our actions have repercussions everywhere. if we arm and provide aid to an illegitimate dictator, we are at fault for aiding the oppression in that country, even if you think we're doing it to aid them.
As often happens. the best solution may not be the perfect solution. We'll see what happens when Mubarak leaves and what replaces him before we do any celebrating.
If the American government had their way all countries and societies would be democratic, and I doubt you'd argue with that.
that statements makes me wonder what you think our foreign policy efforts are for. if you think our efforts are to extend liberty, democracy, and the associated prosperity with it, i'd ask you how does arming and aiding illegitimate dictatorships the world over accomplishes that?
Because some dictators and dictatorships are worse than others. For example, we could ask ourselves whether Mubarak was a threat to his neighbours, like Saddam Hussein, or had international political ambitions, like Fidel Castro. Mubarak, compared to those dictators, was quite liberal.
on the other hand if you think our foreign policy effort are to get us cheap resources and labor i fail to see how that is in everyone's best interest, with all the poverty and slavery going on in the world that we support. (a reminder, just a few days ago before the protests heated up, mubarak sent police into the factories in cairo to tell people to get back to work, people that are starving because they can't afford food. that is slavery)
I don't believe Americans or their governments are against human rights. Quite the contrary. But in the real world we must have realistic expectations. Let the French or Germans, Japanese or Brazilians concern themselves with these problem for a while, and they can take the world's condemnations about not doing a proper job of it.
this again is a form of conditional democracy. you're all for democracy as long as they put a pro-US government in place.
What do you mean by "pro-US"?
this isn't democracy at all. if you believe in self determination and free will, you have to allow these people to pick their own leadership.
And yet, when the US introduced democracy to Iraq millions, especially the Left, were against it. How do you figure that? And do you seriously believe dictatorships are picked by the people?
if the people don't like the idea of a foreign power having so much military power in their part of the world more than likely they'll put in a leadership that will oppose that. imagine how much more likely they'd be to have a democratically elected leadership that is pro-US if after WW2 when the western powers were forced to give up their colonies in the area, instead of the US funding a puppet dictator, we allowed the people to be self determining.
it seems clear you are poorly informed about post war Europe and Japan. This is not worth discussing.
please don't take my statements lightly, i believe in america and our ideals. it's just apparent that we don't project those ideals all over the world. we have military bases in 75 foreign countries, imagine what kind of government we'd elect if china, russia, iran, and north korea all had military bases in canada... if you truely support the idea of liberty and self determination rather than the divine providence of american military might you have to allow people to do what they want, even if it's not exactly what you would do.
That's as vapid and ridiculous as BHO's state of the union speech. Saying nothing while using trite cliches seems to be the fashion these days.
