Educated by Christians

[Canuck_2]

Red; from a poll of 'Muslim' countries.

What do they like about the west?

Freedom of speach and freedom of religion.

What do they dilike about the west?

Lack of respect for other people.

[r3020]

Strapping a vest to a mentally handicapped child and sending him/her into a crowed market is respect?

[Samnospam]

Yes, look up Vietnam, korea, Gerenda, etc.  Then look all all the little wars post 1945 the US was not involved in.  Then do like I said and compare it to the world 1880-1945.  Try being honest, there is no comparison.

I'll be clear, I do not think the USA should police the world, but people that think that nations would be coexist in some peaceful bliss if it were not for the USA are ignorant of history.   The only times of extensive peace in this worlds history  are periods of some bully forcing the peace, and those have been few and far between.

So you're saying that if Russia drills on territory Canada claims that Canada will do nothing?

[bruce MN]

Howard Zinn died last year so he's not likely to chime in here but I'd offer that the Spanish American War (the suspicious sinking of The Maine serving as that war's 9-11) and the corporate driven (that war's fledgling version of the Military Industiral Complex) War ON The Phillipines fairly well lined out to the world that we were going to be no more than just one more of the garden variety of imperialist powers that she had been dealing with for centuries.

The most prominent  of the pre-1945 indicators was our refusal to officially and as a participant back the resistance in the Spainish Civil War against the fascist forces that had come to power there. Many thousands of Americans (and Canadians and freedom valuing other Europeans) offered their services, and at time their lives, as fighters in that cause...but we as a Nation offered only mumbbled platitudes.

[Samnospam]

We're the sorriest imperialist in the history of the earth.  

[bruce MN]

Lord knows I can't disagree with that.

Not so sure that once the ruling classes gets stuck with the results of a successful democratic movement it can ever be to good at it. All of those internal doubters just muck up the works, don't you know. It's best to keep a monarchy in place or at least some sort of chancellery.

But "us" not being good at doesn't stymie the ambitions for those here who are like those with ambitions in those places. But the muck up makes us poor at it. For sure. too bad that we are so big and spectacular, and not like the Dutch and the Swiss who have always been able to get the big  pieces of pie without risking or expending anything.

[johnaa]

  Police man, yah, your grasp of history is rather shallow, but then unless one does study history, your head will only be full of propaganda.  The police man was very active in Nations from which western industrialists desired "cheap" resources.  

  After WW2 GB and other imperialist powers used their "influence" to mislead the US and misuse our military to prop up their control of former colonies.  The game changed some what from outright control of other nations governments to over throwing and replacing them with puppets.  Iran is a great example of this, because it is well know, but when one looks behind the veil the entire middle east and asia's governments were subjected to this stealth imperialism.   Africa's natural resources dido. 

The history of central and south America is one of one brutal dictatorship after another sponsored and controlled clandestinely by the "policeman.

  Yes, the US has been a rather sloppy imperialist, in that our military has been misused by so many of our so-called allies and "special friends" with negative benefit for the USA. 

[Samnospam]

Yep, you doubters have cost us plenty in slaves, and tribute of women and gold.   

[Samnospam]

I don't know how a person whose mind is clouded with one issue can call another shallow.   If you didn't notice a serious portion of the world was occupied by installed and proped up governments over that time period.   If it wasn't us installing it, it would have been someone else.     Now we have a unipolar world and countries like Iran have there own governments,  great job they've done.

Shallow is a view of the world that only considers the actions of one agent, rather than the interactions of the many agents.

But you are correct that we've been more active where the resources are located.  If it were not for its oil reserves no one would give a rats ass about the middle east.

[schnurrbart]

Maybe you should pay attention to your first paragraph!