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| Wednesday, November 24, 2004 |
| Back to business |
For those who don't like u2, sorry for the diversion.
Nick Kristof's op/ed today in the Times, and some of the other news about Iran's nuclear program, etc. have gotten me thinking again about Americans' perception of America. We take it for granted that we will be the most powerful country in the world all our lives, and will be able to act like it and reap all the spoils thereof.
What if that were not the case? What if it was possible for another country to invade the U.S., or to send bomber planes to our cities and level buildings indiscriminately like in Fallujah? What if another power had a nuclear bomb, and truly believed they were justified in using it, like we believed we were in Japan? Would we then finally realize the importance of accepting differences, and the unfairness of imposing your will on others?
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posted by CB @ 11:23 AM   |
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| 1 Comments: |
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If we had to rank, foreign policy and America's image from abroad are probably Americans' least important issues (vs. economy, jobs, healthcare, etc), as they just don't effect everyday life as much. Unfortunately, the sentiment of some Americans is this acknowledgement that we are the most powerful country and this entitlement that we therefore can impose our beliefs, for either ideological reasons or economic self-interests, on other countries (shown by Bush).
The justification of the war with Iraq to protect ourselves, and similar military actions in the future, should be carefully treaded. In an effort to "defend" ourselves, we are gaining an alarmingly negative perception which can be felt by anyone travelling or living abroad. The implications of our foreign policy decisions shouldn't be shrugged off, as rapidly growing resentment from the world puts us in more danger by perpetuating terrorism ad other anti-American activities.
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If we had to rank, foreign policy and America's image from abroad are probably Americans' least important issues (vs. economy, jobs, healthcare, etc), as they just don't effect everyday life as much. Unfortunately, the sentiment of some Americans is this acknowledgement that we are the most powerful country and this entitlement that we therefore can impose our beliefs, for either ideological reasons or economic self-interests, on other countries (shown by Bush).
The justification of the war with Iraq to protect ourselves, and similar military actions in the future, should be carefully treaded. In an effort to "defend" ourselves, we are gaining an alarmingly negative perception which can be felt by anyone travelling or living abroad. The implications of our foreign policy decisions shouldn't be shrugged off, as rapidly growing resentment from the world puts us in more danger by perpetuating terrorism ad other anti-American activities.