Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Countries Negative Influences on the World and Flawed Thinking
The BBC has announced the results of a poll which has Israel, Iran, and the United States as having the most negative influence on the world. "The world" consists of 1,000 people each in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
The poll (PDF of results on the US) shows the world having a 32% positive/49% negative opinion of the US. 68% of respondents said the US military in the Middle East causes more conflicts rather than being a stabilizing force. Other issues upsetting the world are the Iraq War, global warming, and treatment of Guantanamo prisoners.
Several countries are remarkably pro-American: Philippines, Kenya, and Nigeria. Hungary and Poland are moderate in their opinions of the United States.
What can be made of this. In short: the bulk of the world hates (yes, I know the usage and emotion of the word) while select regions favor America. But why?
Well, the select African countries, including Nigeria with a large Muslim population, receive direct aid from the United States and know what life would be like without America. $34 billion dollars a year are given by PRIVATE aid groups in the United States alone. Approximately 25% of all economic activity is done in the United States. Without open trade and interaction laws the countries which need development the most with dive deep into depression. Ever been to the Caribbean and wonder what would happen to these places without tourism dollars?
But why is the United States hated? More people think the US has a worse impact than North Korea, whose monstrosities can be documented by even blogosphere, and China which is in the process of economically colonizing Africa and supporting dictators who oppose liberalization with brute force and genocide. In part it is due to the Soviet's propaganda machine which instead of directly trying to influence events created a self-sustaining Marxist subculture which seeks to destroy the establishment (United States and allied institutions) in the West. This subculture continues to live today even after the fall of communism and the fact that Communism killed more people than the Nazis ever dreamed of. The current war against Islamic Fascism has also lead to anti-Americanism. The pro-Islamists have adopted old socialist critiques of Western culture and tied it to Islamism. To paraphrase Ibn Warraq "Why do they hate us? ...Because they are taught to hate us!"
Catholicgauze tends to be dismayed at poll results like this. Before the US was in the Persian Gulf there were several wars of Iraqi expansion from the Iran-Iraq War to the Gulf War. The only time the US did not intervene afterwards was during the massacring of the Shia after the Gulf War. The US military is also absent in North Africa which is hardly a stable place with Darfur. One can think the US has made mistakes but before one says the US has the most negative impact on the world just think for a second. Where was "the world" during Rwanda, the Balkans, Iraq, Darfur, North Korea, et al?
What are your thoughts, readers?
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5 comments:
The "world" is more than willing to malign the US failure in Iraq as it provides a handy distraction from their own ambivalence regarding both the atrocities you mention and the future difficulties regarding failed states and the consequent terrorist networks that will thrive within their confines. It's easy to vilify US failings. Not so easy to engage in a realistic approach that addresses the problems of the world (disparity between failed and globalized states) and produces a framework for debate regarding actually solving geopolitical issues.
This issue really pisses me off and so I'll cut this short of a rant.
I liked the ad,truthful and thought-provoking hopefully to those who are increasingly deluded into thinking the world is better off with out the US.
The U.S. does get blamed a lot in the world, rightfully so or otherwise. The U.S. does a lot of things in world politics that are extremely disliked by people in other countries. The average person in the world does not hate the U.S. He hates U.S. policies. Very big difference. A success of a team in sports is often put on the shoulders of its coach. If the team fails, the coach gets blamed. This is a similar role the U.S. has taken in world politics. The U.S. is the single most powerful entity in the world. It wants to have a say in nearly everything that goes on in the world. The world community does not blame the U.S. for what it has done in Bosnia because it was a success much like a coach. However, it is blamed for the blunders in Iraq because of the results. Read a bit of history and you will realize that the U.S. has overthrown over a half a dozen democratically elected governments in Latin America in the past few decades. Now, I thought we were trying to promote democracy in the world. Actually, not. We just wanted to go against anything that was socialist/communist/USSR. Thats why we overthrew them and in place put in dictators who catered to U.S. interests. Many countries in Africa have suffered the same fate. Democratically elected govts have been overthrown by the CIA to cater to our interests. Lets be real here folks. There is a very good reason why the world hates U.S. policies. We do what is in our best economic interest. Unfortunately, most countries do that today. We just do it at the greatest level and if you are the top dog, it is easier to get hated on. If we really and truly care about democracy, let us forcefully change Saudi Arabia,Oman, Kuwait and several other countries ruled by Shakes and bakes who dont have the best of Human Rights records and people cant vote.
To rebutt some of your earlier statements. "China which is in the process of economically colonizing Africa and supporting dictators who oppose liberalization with brute force and genocide". I guess its Chinas turn now, because the U.S. has already been there, done that. Slave trade, economics of the 1960, 70s and it still continuees. I guess China is just doing what the U.S. did and is still doing. Still wrong thoough. Just to name one example of the dozen or so in Africa alone. The CIA funded and helped overthow Partice Lumumba who was a democratically elected prime minister of the Congo (DRC) who was a socialist who sided with the Soviets. Now remember who we put in instead. Rember our old pal Mobutu, ya, thats right, the dude whose personal wealth totalled to more than 5 billion dollars when he died. Now who brought this dictator who committed genocide and violated more than his share of people. The U.S. did. This is just one example of the many in the world.
Now why did we not do shit in Rwanda? We had no economic/political gain. Why do we go into Iraq? Oil, political interests, personal grudges (and yes, I am a Bush Hater) just to name a few reasons.
Lets not kid ourselves by saying that freeing the people of Iraq from a brutal dictator (whom we supported and helped fight Iran which cost thousands of lives). Thats a bunch of BS. There are many more countries that have brutal dictators that are being oppressed. When do you suggest we go and free those people? Maybe when we find oil or someother valuable resource. Last I checked, we are best friends with President Musharaf of Pakistan who overthrew a democratically elected govt with his military. When are we goint to free the people of Pakistan from a brutal dictator (he hasnt killed as many as Sadaam did, but hes got his fair share)
So hopefully, this explains why the world hates us. We have too many double standards in politics. China is trying to screw with Africa, no doubt, but we screwed and are still screwing them. So if you wanna blame the party that is doing wrong, blame all that are doing wrong and not just the one you choose to.
One should always have the courage and moral ethics to blame even their own parents if they do wrong. A wrong is a wrong, regardless of who commits it. Please be a little more balanced with these issues and report both sides of an issue.
I really dont know if the world would be better with or without the U.S. But I totally see why its hated. There is a damn good reason.
Ok, Im done with my sociaist ranting. This was fun. your socialist buddy, see you in the dept big boi. later
You can just rebutt me by talking to me in the office unless you wanna type a long ass love letter like I did. :-)
They say that a picture can say a thousand words...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Saddam_rumsfeld.jpg
So, please, let us not ignore the elephant in the room that has lent a hand to Saddam's regime before the golf war.
"This subculture continues to live today even after the fall of communism and the fact that Communism killed more people than the Nazis ever dreamed of."
Assuming that Stalinism or Maoism represents the puritanical implication laid out by the Communist Manifesto. Isn’t that sort of like blaming the regimes of Pinochet and Mussolini on Adam Smith?
"The only time the US did not intervene afterwards was during the massacring of the Shia after the Gulf War."
...who provoked the Shia into rebellion with the promise of U.S. air support and didn't deliver?
"Where was "the world" during Rwanda, the Balkans, Iraq, Darfur, North Korea, et al?"
...and Chile, East Timor...
Socialist Buddy,
Oh, I will deal with you. :)
Jeffrey,
I can get you images of Saddam and Chirac, point out that France and the USSR gave more aid to Iraq than the US but I won't. Why? Because these are events in the past.
Have mistakes been made in the past. Yes. But look at events. I don't fault the US on Central America because the Communist would have been much worse. Everywhere where the US had a backed leader beat the communist those countries became democracies while Communist Cuba remains a dictatorship.
As for where was the world: If you fault the US for Chile then you must equally fault France and Germany for the continuing deaths in Iraq and Darfur.
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