10 out of 15 countries
By on Apr 18th, 2007 at 11:13 am
10 out of 15 countries
believe that the United States cannot be trusted to “act responsibly in the world.” The new PIPA poll also finds that majorities in 13 out of 15 publics polled say the United States is “playing the role of world policeman more than it should be,” and majorities in all 15 of the countries polled reject the idea that “the US should continue to be the preeminent world leader in solving international problems.”
View Most Popular
Advertisement
What We're About
What We're Fighting For
What We're Fighting Against
Featured
Subscribe to the Progress Report
Topic CloudView topics sorted by popularity
Afghanistan
Bachmann
Beck
Boehner
Bush
Cheney
Civil Rights
Congress
Corporate Ethics
Dobbs
Economy
Election
Energy
Environment
Ethics
Fox News
Gingrich
Global Warming
Hannity
Health Care
Immigration
International Relations
Iraq
Justice
Kristol
LGBT
Lieberman
Limbaugh
Maddow
McCain
Media
Military
Obama
Palin
Pelosi
Public Plan
Race
Radical Right
Religion
Sports
Steele
Stimulus
Tea Parties
Technology
Women's Rights
Visit Our Affiliated Sites
Reports
In-depth studies on select topics
Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.
ArchivesBlog Roll
I agree.
April 18th, 2007 at 11:17 amObviously, people in five of fifteen countries are victims of poor education systems, or low intelligence, or both.
Why else would anyone in the world trust the United States?
April 18th, 2007 at 11:17 amThank you so much, Mr. President, for turning my country into an international pariah. I just can’t wait to take a vacation overseas and be both a laughing stock AND a scumbag in the eyes of others.
Impeach this idiot NOW!
April 18th, 2007 at 11:18 amha ha! ;ppls ;ole we liberated ourselves out of responsibility to be a moral leader to the rest of Earthlings.
April 18th, 2007 at 11:19 amHey trolls! What do you think of this?
Woooo Hooo!! America! Hell Yeah!
April 18th, 2007 at 11:23 amIt only took Bush his term in office to undo all that America stood for internationally. I am so disgusted with the way we as a nation are viewed by the rest of the world. At best they laugh at us for our choice of leadership and hope it will soon pass, at worst they believe this is representative of American values and plan to deal with us in this light.
April 18th, 2007 at 11:23 amSo?
April 18th, 2007 at 11:23 amJust like an alcoholic needs to hit bottom before change is possible, so too must this country suffer something beyond the horror of 9/11 before the remaining 33% leave the bush cult and join us in rebuilding our former greatness as a nation. I welcome whatever it is, no matter how horrid, for without some sort of carnage on a huge scale…..nothing is going to change.
April 18th, 2007 at 11:24 amBill and/or Hillary Clinton, and/or Nancy Pelosi, and/or Jimmy Carter are/were worser.
April 18th, 2007 at 11:30 amSo what country are we supposed to pattern our behavior after? France? Britain? Spain? Russia? The UN?
No answer from this breathtaking poll is offered.
April 18th, 2007 at 11:33 amI’m glad patrick1 puts a ? at the end of his comment. Confused, surely!
April 18th, 2007 at 11:37 amI’ll offer Sweden for consideration as a role model country.
April 18th, 2007 at 11:37 amWhy not just be a responsible leader, patrick?
April 18th, 2007 at 11:38 amOkay, Sweden. LOL
April 18th, 2007 at 11:39 am“Worser”?
W… are you commenting on Think Progress again?
April 18th, 2007 at 11:40 am“Worser�
W… are you commenting on Think Progress again?
Nah, ‘course that wasn’t me. I know that the real way to say it is “worserer”.
April 18th, 2007 at 11:46 amThe whole “world’s policeman” thing is a crock. It’s like arguing over whether Al Capone should’ve been Chicago’s policeman.
April 18th, 2007 at 11:52 amThose 10 countries are intelligent!
April 18th, 2007 at 11:57 amThis is a surprise?
For whom?
Good grief everyone knows that the U.S. is run by crazies. Crazies with guns.
April 18th, 2007 at 11:59 amIn response to #7, so a lot.
Note that some of these countries could pose a serious threat to us. If China decided that they really didn’t want us in charge anymore, they could screw our economy… which is likely to happen sometime over the next half century anyway. The EU is growing more and more skeptical of us, and they not only have the capability of opposing us militarily, but can claim the moral high ground of following the Geneva Convention and giving greater human rights to its citizens in an effort to get more countries on their side if it comes to blows with us.
Aside from our national security, when other countries don’t like us, they don’t provide troops to help us go to war. If there had been a genuine international consensus on going to Iraq, there would be more international troops there and thus less American troops… this would no doubt result is less American deaths… not to mention the psychological effect it would have to our enemies that the entire world is against them, rather than just a country half-way around the world.
Historically, we in the US like to do good things around the world. Since the world was not with us in Iraq, all of our troops are occupied there, and we can’t do things like stop genocide in Darfur because we have no troops left. Personally, I don’t like genocides, and we should try to stop as much killing as possible. That’s something worthy of my tax dollars.
And finally, it shows that maybe, from an objective viewpoint, we’re overstepping our bounds. Maybe we’ve gone from being the good guy to being the bad guy. Just maybe. And maybe we should take a good long hard look at ourselves, and decide whether that is so. We did repeal habeas corpus. I’m not a constitutional scholar, but it does seem like we’re infringing on the first, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth items in the bill of rights. We have one of the most lopsided wealth distributions in the developed world.
Not to mention since we became ‘top dog,’ other countries have improved. Democracy has spread. Other countries offer national healthcare. Education is stronger in other countries. We’re gutting our research. Etc. Maybe it is time for someone else. I’d nominate the EU.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:00 pmIt makes me so sad to see our country’s credibility in the world go down the drain like this. And it only took 6 years! Obviously we weren’t loved by everyone before then, but at least we had some credibility. Our next president is going to have one helluva mess to clean up.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:02 pmContemporary mistakes will be judged by historians; however, the danger afflicting our country and the world are of the present and waiting for historic perspective is suidical.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:03 pmWhile the “free market” has many advantages, we cannot pigeonhole ourselves into a box whereby free market economics become a limiting philosophy. Medical care, the costs thereof, is hamstringing private industry
as well as individuals. In this context, let’s look anew at the so-called socialistic systems doing very well in Sweden and Norway.
Heck-of-a-job Chimpie.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:03 pmWhy don’t you just declare war on the entire planet ?
“Arm friends, attack enemies and rely on violence rather than dialogue” – facing the truth about Blacksburg
buried on page A19 of today’s wapo…
when you read and listen to all the incredibly shallow spoutings that are taking place in the u.s. about monday’s horror at virginia tech and then read what the rest of the world is thinking, it’s more clear than ever just how terribly sick our country is… look at this from argentina, which, from first-hand experience i can assure you, is not a paragon of national peace and serenity…
would it be at all possible to have a REAL national discussion instead of political posturing and ideological/theocratic diatribes…? well, would it…?
And, yes, I DO take it personally
April 18th, 2007 at 12:06 pmmajorities in all 15 of the countries polled reject the idea that “the US should continue to be the preeminent world leader in solving international problems.â€
Majorities in all 15 countries ?
Wow that’s a lot of people.
Any of them have any suggestions for who would be replacing the US in this role ?
Says a lot about context doesn’t it. That the US looks terrible until someone tells you your other options are China, Russia, or all 3 vetoing each other at the UN and doing nothing.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:13 pmWell, it doesn’t look like America will ever fashion a Coalition of the Willing any time soon. I find the mixed response of Eastern Europe interesting. I guess they’re finally wising up to the fact that the neo-cons weren’t really interested in liberating them from communism but only in looting their resources.
I see Patrick1trickpony is parroting John Bolton. However, if I might paraphrase Dubya, you’re either with the World Community or you’re against the World Community. If the UN is broken, it’s because the US broke it. The UN requires we all surrender a little of our sovereignty. Unfortunately, America prefers a policy of Pax Americana where US interests trump the human rights of all others.
And what’s wrong with Sweden?
April 18th, 2007 at 12:14 pmI agree – we cannot be trusted. We cannot rid ourselves of the worst president in the history of our country. Why should anyone else trust us?
April 18th, 2007 at 12:18 pmWe all worry about what next impossible situation Bush will involve the US, and how he will adversely affect us and the world. 653 days is a long time for him to create more mayhem.
this is no suprise, I try to stay out of it when I can because I get so heated about it….. dubya is a complete moron but all the people around him have to have some kind of evil plan … or there morons too.
either way its bad and so many people are so fucking stupid they cant see that.. yeah maybe alot of people want to “get er done” and kill all those bastards.. (which I dont agree with!) but think about it….. bush even sucks ass at that dammit! we lost this the moment we started it. open your eyes.
fuck! shit! dammit it to hell….. all of my words are gone this is what I’ve resorted to.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:20 pmYou are assuming that this attitude toward USA is new. While Bush&Co. have been responsible for a recently worsening attitude toward US foreign policy, our reputation has been deteriorating for over thirty years. Interventions in VIetnam, Panama, Nicaragua, Haiti, Grenada, Somalia, Lebanon, and now Iraq and Afghanistan as well as our military presence in over 100 countries worldwide, and our support of military dicators in resource rich countries has made US a global paria.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:20 pmWe have the largest military in the world. We are the world’s biggest polluter. International corporations commonly identified as US based regularly pollute and poison other countries and their citizens while extracting their resouces and huge profits. We regularly export chemicals and pharaceuticals banned in our own country.
Our refusal to sign onto the Kyoto accords, adhere to the Geneva conventions or particpate in the international court of justice expose US to the world for what we are.
leave it to liberals to believe that doing the right thing is about a popularity contest…..
April 18th, 2007 at 12:21 pm#10 Yeah, we wouldn’t want to model ourselves after that country…the UN.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:24 pmThis is BS. America should be trusted above all others. We MUST stop acting like the bad guy around the world.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:24 pm#27 Like those darned presidential approval ratings.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:25 pmleave it to liberals to believe that doing the right thing is about a popularity contest…..
Comment by nully
Killing people in south and central america… waging wars of aggression… removing popular government leaders and replacing them with puppet killers… is NOT doing the right thing…
America has done many many good things… but the mass murders we support or cause cancels out the good we do.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:26 pmI’ve mailed a check to President Bush for the sum total of REALITY.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:27 pmI wonder if he will cash it?
JPark,
yes, just like those darn Presidential approval ratings that the left lives and dies for……remember that Dumbcrats don’t do the right thing, they do what the polls tell them to do.
only liberals live and die by polls and what others say…..it is all a popularity contest to liberals.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:28 pmLet’s not forget that the group of fat-cat lawyers in the Supreme Court put this unprosecuted criminal in there.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:30 pmWorld’s policeman?
More like Global Resource Thief.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:44 pm#33
Who decides what is right and/or wrong?
Sociopathic war-profiteers? Constitution shredders? Corporatists?
Give me a freaking break!
t-mac
April 18th, 2007 at 12:46 pmSee what a group of wingnut, bible thumpers can do in a short six years?
April 18th, 2007 at 12:52 pmAugh. We are the “world’s police” , but we don’t do anything about genocide or poverty. Pretty awful police. It’s like doing a drug bust on a retirement home, whilst a gun battle goes on outside the doors. If we are still to claim this title, let’s do it. Let’s roll. Ha ha. I can’t believe I just wrote that. Seriously though, let’s address genocide and poverty.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:55 pmI guess the ’shock and awe’ behavior doesn’t work elsewhere in the world, seems to work ok for patrick1 however. Maybe we could just ship those who think like patrick1 on out of here, maybe in a space station where they can fight one another and leave planet earth to live in peace and prosperty for everyone. Works for me.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:55 pmAs long as Dick Cheney still believes that Saddam was trying to buy yellow cake, who cares what the rest of the world thinks?
April 18th, 2007 at 12:59 pmToo bad his former board mates split for Dubai before they got their freedom medals. The ceremony would have been a nice touch.
It’s easy to be the bully on the block, the guy with the biggest fists who enforces ‘policy’ by beating the bejeebers out of anyone who disagrees with him.
It’s a lot tougher to lead by example. It takes moral fiber and courage and the willingness to take a lot of crap to stand up for what’s right.
It’s sad to see that we’ve regressed to a country that’s seen as nothing more than a bully, rather than as a leader.
April 18th, 2007 at 1:03 pmHaving been born in the United States, served for over 20 years in it’s military and having immigrated to a different country and taken it’s citizenship, I have pretty much rid myself of my excess baggage of being an american….
I vote in the country of my choice, live by its rules and feel honored to be a citizen of my new country…
I am pretty much anti american, I despise the tourists I see on our beaches, streets and their ignorance and arrogance is beyond belief.
No thanks, I wouldn’t trade a grain of sand on my beach for the entire country… Looks to me like you pretty much have made your bed and now you have to lay in it…. It’s going to take a very, very long time before you ever regain trust in the world…. All because you laid down with pigs and now are waking up smelling like garbage….
Power does not mean trust, and looking at the destruction of your education system, commercial migration of industry to other nations and the fact that the corporations now want to outsource the major part of the most intelligent work outside the country, I believe that you are going to loose your inellectuals to countries that appreciate them….
I trust your government about the same, or possibly a little lower than the government of Stalin in the old Soviet Union…
I know for sure that there will not be trust again in my lifetime, you have burned too many bridges….
April 18th, 2007 at 1:05 pm3311.
April 18th, 2007 at 1:06 pmlet me put it another way , America is the biggest threat to mankind there has ever been , we are totaly sick to the teeth of america
Do you agree
Yes 95%
No 1%
not sure 4%
there you have it so dig a hole and take your country and jump in it
April 18th, 2007 at 1:16 pmI don’t trust our government anymore. As long as the Bush administration stays in power wiping there ass on the constitution. He has made America weak and vulnerable. What kind of idiots would re-ellect such a criminal and incompetant leader. “Twice”! Shame on you America. We truly are the ugly Americans
April 18th, 2007 at 1:26 pmI wonder how #42 feels about other American expats walking on his beaches. I don’t think we’ve quite hit rock-bottom yet. America deserved Bush, still does. Not Americans, mind you, but America. The world certainly doesn’t deserve Bush. But who pays attention to polls anyway. Now when I say Bush, I mean Cheney/Neocon cabal. But since Bush is the puppet, he’s what the audience sees. No, I believe we’re headed over a precipice. Powered by false pride, false prayer and false patriotism, lead by Topo Gigo the puppet in chief, we’re past the point of no return over this waterfall plunging toward the inchoate swirling bottom of National ignominy. Don’t forget to get out and vote for your favorite more of the same. God bless America, someday.
April 18th, 2007 at 1:31 pmsad, sad that the world is so ignorant that they consider the USA a threat…
although leave it to these same people to run to the USA for military and economic aid when they see themselves in a desperate situation.
April 18th, 2007 at 1:31 pm“it is all a popularity contest to liberals” how silly can you get?!
I wonder what this joker thinks of voting? The biggest popularity contest we’ve got! (next to ‘American Idol’ of course…)
April 18th, 2007 at 1:32 pmWhat kind of idiots would re-ellect such a criminal and incompetant leader.
Americans never elected Bush. He stole office via an unlawful Supreme Court ruling, rigged computers, and lots of other chicanery.
April 18th, 2007 at 1:34 pmCool. Let’s let someone else take the reigns for a while, screw up, and then get blamed.
I’m not saying we haven’t done a hell of a lot of damage to the world but I doubt very seriously if these countries can offer any viable solutions.
History just keeps on repeating..and repeating…and repeating…
April 18th, 2007 at 1:49 pmThose countries would find a lot of agreement within our borders. When you have an administration that disregards the Genevas, its own constitution, who has a boy king who rules by signing statements, and who has handed over incredible power to a maniac like Darth Cheney, it is no surprise that no one trusts us anymore.
Of course, instead of marching, protesting, or even writing letters to the congresscritters who have sat by while this happened, we grab a beer and watch American Idle. If the American people showed even the slightest concern for what our government has done to the rest of the globe, I’d think they’d trust us a lot more. But we have squandered all good will.
April 18th, 2007 at 2:07 pmWe are seeing the end of our formerly great nation. Brought to its knees by neoconMen, AIPAC, and greedy, power-hungry jerks like Darth Cheney.
Since the Chinese own our massive Bush War debt, they pretty much will own our children and grandchildren in the not-so-distant future. Then, the other countries in the world will have to look to China, the successor of the U.S., for their police force, a very scary thought. The rest of us will be slaves to China, thanks to the greed of the Bush cartel.
Sound like something from The Twilight Zone? Think again.
April 18th, 2007 at 2:17 pmreply to #47:
April 18th, 2007 at 2:32 pmYou mean like the military and economic aid Katrina got? useless.
How about patterning our country after America? The founding fathers had some good ideas; I think we should take a look at them!
April 18th, 2007 at 2:57 pmI HAVE clients in other countries, and have actually discussed this with several of them. In UK, South Africa, Egypt, India, and Japan the general consensus is that the US is a rogue super power, and as I understand it, Americans are NOT IN THE LEAST BIT POPULAR NOR WANTED ANYWHERE!
Thanks to Bu$hCo and his inept mangling of world affairs and his illegal invasion and occupation, we are a pariah to the rest of the planet.
Fortunately, MOST everyone I talk to DOES associate this current opinion of all things American with our current regime, and they wait impatiently, AS DO I, for regime change. It would set in so much better with the rest of the world if that regime change were FORCED, i.e. IMPEACHMENT! It would make a necessary statement to the rest of the world that these policies are Bu$h’s, NOT THE THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS. It would be healing for us to do this, within the US and would send a powerful message for healing and reparations to nations and peoples around the world.
I would have thought that Pelosi would have GOTTEN that message by now, and put impeachment SQUARELY on the table!
IMPEACH
INVESTIGATE
INDICT
IMPRISON!
There is really no better way to say “We’re SORRY!”
April 18th, 2007 at 3:01 pmsiri
Every country gets the politicians it deserves.
April 18th, 2007 at 3:18 pmSad but true.
Good news is, that the US is NOT ALONE in regard to some leading politicians :(
There is an irony in this poll. At the moment the US Marines are airing an ad on TV where a slide show of Marines handing chocolate to a child and so on. Clean, friendly, successful and nice, highest standards, honor, blablabla. The sad new is that there are still people that believe that. There are still 30% that the commander in chief is a wonderful president. Nobody in the world can stand arrogance and lies. It is time for a reality recall. In a country where less than 45% participate at elections nobody should wonder about government abuse. Lets face it, the military is on its way to self destruct, the border is owned by drug dealers and human traffickers, the government is outsourcing itself, inner cities become war zones of gangs and a blue eyed majority looking the other way. Would you take advice from that country?
April 18th, 2007 at 3:28 pmPerhaps, it’s because the media has spent so much effort presenting nothing but that which would make them feel this way. And, it’s when the media decides to print such, and when they decide not to:
“What’s the point of having this superb military you’re always talking about if we can’t use it?” Sec. Madeline Albright
Senator Robert Byrd on Unilateral action in Iraq on September 6, 1996: “To those who would doubt the necessity of the actions by the president, one should pose the question as to what the consequences would be in the face of American inaction. First, clearly, no other country would take the lead. The signature of the current era is such that response to aggression will not be taken up by other powers in the absence of American leadership, unfortunately. This was the case in the invasion of Kuwait. It was the case in Bosnia when, after several years of Western inaction in the face of ethnic atrocities in Bosnia, only the United States, only the United States, could bring about a credible, effective implementation of peace in that sorry part of Europe. . . . It is American leadership which is decisive to the peace in these regions, and I commend President Clinton for his decisive action. It was necessary to weaken the Iraqi leader’s ability to intimidate his neighbors, and to make it clear that he will pay a price for his aggression.â€
April 18th, 2007 at 3:28 pmUSA should model itself according to its founding fathers and its constitution. That is a model good enough.
toroone
April 18th, 2007 at 3:43 pmAmerica has lost it; Can AMERICANS win it back.
April 18th, 2007 at 4:02 pmThe false republicans stole power, in 2000. That party allowed itself to be hijacked by the neo-cons and the military-industrial complex, seem’s no one took heed of Eishenhower’s cautions, they took 40 years to acheive that, very stealthly; but now they’re all in the open and we know their modus operandi. Can the american people recognize that, can they find a third way, seems that the Dems are just a wee bit better than the repukes and not by much.
The ball’s in Joe Public’s turf now, will he be foresighted enough in 2008.
Can someone come up with a vision and a platform that will reconcile americans and the world or will you have to wait another 40 years for the pendulum to swing back; sadly in 40 years it will be to late and you will be where the Soviet Union is now. Not a happy prospect; but in Russia more than 46 % cast their ballot, those who keep silence will allway be wrong.
We CAN NOT be both super nationalistic, Pax America U.S.A. all the way AND “leader of the free world”. These are two mutually exclusive duties. In one we, as Bolton and the Neocon cabal has done, wreck the worlds economies through obscene World Bank and NAFTA rules for our use of strong arm polices. In the other, we seek to lead “the poor and huddled masses” and attempt to create the most perfect form of democracy we can (hint, we ain’t doing so well on that one either) and do what’s best for the majority of people on Earth. At certain times (say during WW2) these aims came in line with each other, but in the last decade they have diverged to such a massive degree as to become mutually exclusive. Americans have a deep psychological desire to lead, to be “liked”, but we have been criminally negligent in actually effectively leading.
Choose one America. Shall we lead by proud example as our founders dreamed of? Or shall we care only for “the fatherland”, lining the pockets of our rich through the blood of the worlds poor. As an American, I know my choice.
End the occupation, hold our own war criminals accountable, re-ratify the Geneva Conventions, and do our damnedest to fix what WE broke, and perhaps we will find our place again as leader of the Free World again. But I believe we have just been fired from that particular post…..
April 18th, 2007 at 4:04 pm60) Can someone come up with a vision and a platform that will reconcile americans and the world or will you have to wait another 40 years for the pendulum to swing back?
Kucinich
April 18th, 2007 at 4:08 pmSpartacus,
In my country, the only expats walking around the beaches are either very old, or very rich…… Those of us who have immigrated are as native as the locals and all of us are Socialist or Green… I have heard those who return to the USA saying how very glad they are when they return from their trip… They all say, “The USA is a nice place to visit, but I woldn’t want to live there.”
As, we don’t let in very many americans (under 200), and if you get a “green card” as you call them, it doesn’t allow you to work. In order to work as a registered alian, you must write the government stating the job, its requirements, the company or owner of the company’s name, address and telephone #… If the job is fillable by a local, then you will not get it approved….
When I first immigrated, I was given a 2 year temporary card and during this period, it was forbidden for me to take any employment what so ever…. After I had learned the language during that period, I was given a 5 year card, and was allowed to work only after I asked the government for permission….
I personally didn’t find anything wrong with this arrangement, after all I was the guest in their country. When I became a citizen, I found that I could work anywhere I wanted….
Also since we’re so small, we all know our representatives in the assembly and also the leaders are accessable to everyone… One vote can and usually does mean the difference between being elected and being defeated….
Here are a few of the reasons I made my decision
No Income or Land Taxes
April 18th, 2007 at 4:09 pmNo Fishing Licenses or Limits
No Pistols allowed and all rifles are kept locked at the police station.
We have less than 1 murder every 10 years
I can walk about any time of the day or night and not worry about my safety…
The honesty, compassion, and warmth of the people…
We don’t call it Paradise for nothing!
Folks when the U.S. does the moral or right thing as in the case of Kuwait and Bosnia, we get by and large the respect that we deserve nation wise BUT, when our country attacks a country on slim pretexts and outright lies and the cherry picking of intel, the government and the MSM enablers,hangerson and the neocon bunch in general deserve the distrust and outright haterd that is heaped on them. Don’t take the study so personally as the fact is the people of the U.S. are fairly well respected and are looked upon as the victims of unscrupulous poloticians,lobbyists,pseudo christian theocratic neocon thugs and their ilk.
April 18th, 2007 at 4:15 pmP.S. We the people are no longer the government, just it’s taxpayers and serfs with little to no input and definately last in line of influence to the rest.
Don’t believe it? I bet you believe the fiction of the “rapture” and completely discount “evolution”.
It’s not that surprising that most countries feel that way. Personally I wouldn’t trust this administration with safety scissors let alone policing the world.
April 18th, 2007 at 4:23 pmHmmm, so the world doesn’t like us? Let me think of some reasons.
1> Most of the world outside Europe consists of corrupt, incompetent and despotic oligarchies (Castro, Chavez, Mugabe…) who need a scapegoat for their socioeconomic failures and whose status quo is threatened by all this American talk of democracy/regime change/free trade.
2> European societies are mostly old, tired, passive and cowardly ones who were making piles of dirty, bloody money off US enemies like Saddam Hussein, just like they’re currently making piles of it off of Iran. Of course they resent Bush endangering their gravy train.
I do agree the US is too much of a world cop. If the US deposing Saddam Hussein was immoral and illegal then Darfur is definitely NOT a US problem. Let the French take care of it.
April 18th, 2007 at 5:25 pmTrue. We should not be the world’s policeman, but I bet they still want us as the world’s savior — aid, non-military intervention, etc.
Given the world’s disgust with what they see as our role in the world, I say we stick to a plan of strict isolationism.
April 18th, 2007 at 5:34 pmThese Bush supports would have made good Germans. They do not want liberty and democracy, they want an iron fist. They want absolute, lock-step totalitarian rule. They are not patriots, they are simple-minded fanatics. They pledge allegiance not to America but to The Republican Party. (And yes, there is a difference.) And they are not worth our time. Please, please, please, could we just ignore them and not afford them the dignity of a reply?
April 18th, 2007 at 6:23 pmJefferson would spin in his grave!!
April 18th, 2007 at 6:37 pmIn response to comment #67, above, our current unelected president’s grandfather was a banker widely known to be a financier of the Nazi Germany war effort during the WWII years. Your comment is probably closer to the mark than you realized….
April 18th, 2007 at 7:04 pm99% of what you can buy in Wallyworld is made in Asia as it is way cheaper to do so. With our huge military budget dragging us down,why the hell don’t we get all the warplanes and missiles made over there?? We could probably get them 80% cheaper and be able to buy a lot more, and then really go to town on the non-coalition members.
April 18th, 2007 at 7:30 pmComment by laurn bedingfield — April 18, 2007 @ 4:15 pm:
“Folks when the U.S. does the moral or right thing as in the
case of Kuwait, we get by and large the respect that we
deserve”
=======================================
Daddy Bush gave Saddam the “green light” to invade Kuwait by telling him that the U.S. would not interfere. If Saddam knew that Bush was lying and intended to attack Saddam, Saddam would never have invaded Kuwait.
Daddy Bush set Saddam up so that he could redirect the World’s attention away from his son, Neil, who was being attacked for his involvement in a Savings and Loan Banking scandal, and the plan worked perfectly.
Even though Neil was found guilty, almost no one heard about it because all of the talk and attention was on Kuwait and Iraq and Saddam and the nasty, evil “turkey shoot” whereby the U.S. firebombed escaping Iraqis leaving burned body remains which the U.S. soldiers than robbed of wedding rings and whatever else they could steal from the dead bodies.
How many people died and suffered just to keep Neil Bush out of jail and out of the headlines?
Saddam taped the “green light” conversation that he had with Bush’s ambassador to Iraq:
—————————————————-
Transcript of Meeting between Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, April Glaspie. – July 25, 1990 (Eight days before the August 2, 1990 Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait) – Presidential Palace – Baghdad
U.S. Ambassador Glaspie – I have direct instructions from President Bush to improve our relations with Iraq. We have considerable sympathy for your quest for higher oil prices, the immediate cause of your confrontation with Kuwait. (pause) As you know, I lived here for years and admire your extraordinary efforts to rebuild your country. We know you need funds. We understand that, and our opinion is that you should have the opportunity to rebuild your country. (pause) We can see that you have deployed massive numbers of troops in the south. Normally that would be none of our business, but when this happens in the context of your threats against Kuwait, then it would be reasonable for us to be concerned. For this reason, I have received an instruction to ask you, in the spirit of friendship – not confrontation – regarding your intentions: Why are your troops massed so very close to Kuwait’s borders?
Saddam Hussein – As you know, for years now I have made every effort to reach a settlement on our dispute with Kuwait. There is to be a meeting in two days; I am prepared to give negotiations only this one more brief chance. (pause) When we (the Iraqis) meet (with the Kuwaitis) and we see there is hope, then nothing will happen. But if we are unable to find a solution, then it will be natural that Iraq will not accept death.
U.S. Ambassador Glaspie – What solutions would be acceptable?
Saddam Hussein – If we could keep the whole of the Shatt al Arab – our strategic goal in our war with Iran – we will make concessions (to the Kuwaitis). But, if we are forced to choose between keeping half of the Shatt and the whole of Iraq (i.e., in Saddam’s view, including Kuwait) then we will give up all of the Shatt to defend our claims on Kuwait to keep the whole of Iraq in the shape we wish it to be. (pause) What is the United States’ opinion on this?
U.S. Ambassador Glaspie – We have no opinion on your Arab – Arab conflicts, such as your dispute with Kuwait. Secretary (of State James) Baker has directed me to emphasize the instruction, first given to Iraq in the 1960’s, that the Kuwait issue is not associated with America.
(Saddam smiles) – On August 2, 1990, Saddam’s massed troops invade and occupy Kuwait.
Baghdad, September 2, 1990, U.S. Embassy – One month later, British journalists obtain the above tape and transcript of the Saddam – Glaspie meeting of July 25, 1990. Astounded, they confront Ms. Glaspie as she leaves the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Journalist 1 – Are the transcripts (holding them up) correct, Madam Ambassador?
(Ambassador Glaspie does not respond)
Journalist 2 – You knew Saddam was going to invade (Kuwait) but you didn’t warn him not to. You didn’t tell him America would defend Kuwait. You told him the opposite – that America was not associated with Kuwait.
Journalist 1 – You encouraged this aggression – his invasion. What were you thinking?
U.S. Ambassador Glaspie – Obviously, I didn’t think, and nobody else did, that the Iraqis were going to take all of Kuwait.
Journalist 1 – You thought he was just going to take some of it? But, how could you? Saddam told you that, if negotiations failed, he would give up his Iran (Shatt al Arab waterway) goal for the Whole of Iraq, in the shape we wish it to be. You know that includes Kuwait, which the Iraqis have always viewed as an historic part of their country!
Journalist 1 – America green-lighted the invasion. At a minimum, you admit signaling Saddam that some aggression was okay – that the U.S. would not oppose a grab of the al-Rumeilah oil field, the disputed border strip and the Gulf Islands (including Bubiyan) – the territories claimed by Iraq?
(Ambassador Glaspie says nothing as a limousine door closed behind her and the car drives off.)
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/ARTICLE5/april.html
======================
April 18th, 2007 at 8:00 pmSo we should worry about what others (allegedly) think and not about our own security; and
we should take away property from those who pay less taxes and give it to those who would pay more; and
we should tax everyone who is middle class or above a lot more and redistribute it (after a large bureaucratic cut); and
we should make the govt much larger so almost everyone works for it; and
we should all have low quality govt health care rather than have uninsured wait in the emergency rooms; and
we should make sure we take away everybody’s right to a gun so the govt will have more control; and
we should elect a knee jerk liberal who can really do some damage to this country; — I don’t think so.
The left in this country is trying to turn this country into a socialist state – don’t vote for a democrat!
April 18th, 2007 at 8:49 pmThis is certainly no surprise. Ever since Bush took office we have had to watch our once great nation sink to a depth that no one would have ever believed we could reach.
We are a laughing stock around the world and for the first time in my 60 years I would be embarssed to travel abroad and be recognized as from the USA.
Until 2000 and the dirty, stolen election, I have always been a very proud citizen, flown the flag, voted in every election, been active in civic affairs. Now I am just waiting for this administration to be replaced and praying and hoping that what comes next will be an improvement. We desperately need honest leadership; men and women with integrity and intelligence.
I don’t want to lose hope, but the politcal climate in our nation today does not lead one towards optimism.
April 18th, 2007 at 9:03 pmIf the “silent Majority” that is always there will rise up and make themselves heard, perhaps there will be a change back to that nation we once were. I have to keep hoping.
I am glad to have married a Canadian 25 years ago. Though here are problems here as well, life is much much better for us since we moved here in 05. I love the States, but I fear many have no clue what your future will be. If you think you’re hitting the bottom, wake up, the slide has just begun. A divided society flirting with fascism has very little chance, unless you the public stands up and demands a change, but having been born and lived 54 years in the States, I do not see it happening. I could go on, but I no longer have the energy. I would suggest more folks study history. Good luck. Oh, the writing is on the wall, it’s Mandarin!
April 18th, 2007 at 10:43 pmRemember bush in the Debates that he lost said we should not be nation Builders. What a change
April 18th, 2007 at 11:34 pmPenny,
The system may have a few problems, God knows that the Democrats have always been behind election corruption, but the 2000 election. Well. Bush won the darn thing. The Gore campaign, in a massive planned (planned ahead of the election) moved into Florida raising cain. They had to sue several of the local Democraticly controlled precincts, as they did not want to do the recounts. Of course the Bush machine fought the Gore effort – that’s what these big political machines do (both sides, my dear).
In the end, Bush won almost all of the local, and national challenges (interesting to see Gore chief atttorney in Bush v Gore out supporting the Libby side of the argument, is it not?). All of the recounts – all of them – by the media that so much wanted Gore to win – showed that in any of the actions pursued by the Gore camp, Bush still won.
If Gore had somehow managed to win, then we could all correctly say that Bush won the election, but Gore through legal action was selected.
Get it.
April 18th, 2007 at 11:41 pmFace it! Under Bush we lost all our prestige.
April 19th, 2007 at 10:20 amAs much as I agree with the seeming consensus that American has not acted responsibly and should get more help from other countries in international issues, I have to say it is only 15 countries.
While I can imagine that the populace of most of the other countries in the world are probably in agreement, as other polls have suggested, it is a interesting mix of countries we have there.
April 20th, 2007 at 3:10 amI am Irish, and I can almost guarantee you that if this poll had been taken in Ireland, we would have been in agreement with the majority.
I cannot claim to really know that much regarding the circumstances in America. We have our own elections coming up soon and they are more important to me currently. (If it helps, we have an awful guy we don’t want to re-elect and an awful guy we don’t want to replace him.)
However, I would like to point out that in general, our negative feelings are towards the American government, not the American people. It seems that you were duped as much as us. I do find it hard to understand why you allowed yourselves to be duped again. (Then again, said ‘awful guy’ here has been here a while.)
It’s strange, but every American I meet tells me how much they dislike Bush and disagree with his actions and policies. I’ve never met an American who admitted to voting for Bush. So either I’m being lied to, or those against Bush are so disillusioned as to not go out and vote.
This will never do! Vote people! Vote!
Many countries of the world would be delighted to see the American people taking action against something they evidently don’t want, and would be no doubt quite happy to offer any assistance in getting things together again.
Just my thoughts. Again… I’m not that familiar, so don’t go yelling at me. I’m happy to hear rational thoughts and arguments.
April 20th, 2007 at 10:40 am