Rice Pays Lip Service to Middle East Peace
I'm not at all a fan of Donald Trump, but his recent criticism of Condi Rice, that she travels from place to place waving but not accomplishing anything really is pretty apt.
Read this AP article and tell me she's not just showing up for the appearance.
Read this AP article and tell me she's not just showing up for the appearance.
posted by mikevotes at
8:29 AM
6 Comments:
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-epm, at 11:32 AM
On a local (New Hampshire) public radio program this morning, author Sarwar Kashmeri made the point that -- and I'm really paraphrasing here -- the US is a world power, but no longer a world leader.
Fascinating discussion: The Great Divide: America and Europe after 9/11 and Iraq.
One caller -- and remember this public radio, not "talk" radio -- recalled what a Finnish diplomat friend said to her. This person said "What most Americans don't understand, is that most of the world doesn't want to be American." I thought that was a profound insight.
What I took away from this was that while the rest of the world may love our movies and TV shows, they may eat at McDonald's and KFC, they may even listen to rap and wear their baseball caps sideways, but they don't want to BE American. Liking bits of American pop culture is no more America-envy than being a Beatles fan is Britain-envy.
The world is less obsessed of us than we are obsessed with thinking they are.
(prior post deleted for typos)
By
-epm, at 11:36 AM
That's a very interesting point, power v leader.
And, I agree that the world doesn't want to be American, at least not the established world, but the US always served as a beacon for those unhappy with their lot. To some degree, America represented a hope to oppressed peoples and it was through that that alot of US soft influence derived.
But now that we imprison and torture....
(And, I didn't know you were New Hampshire. You're going to have to bring the blog back end of this year, early next. The nation would be very curious about the local water cooler talk.)
Mike
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mikevotes, at 2:03 PM
Regarding the appeal of America....
You make a good point, and I'm not trying to sound anti-American... Heck, I'm still here.
Indeed there are millions of individuals who emigrate to the US. Millions; who wish to shake the dust of their homelands from their feet and fully embrace a new country and culture. But are there any countries in which there is a population wishing for America to "liberate" and occupy them? Iranians may wish their government was more western, their personal liberties less restrictive. But do these Iranian moderates and progressives want their country to be dominated by America? Indeed, our very actions have driven more Iranians away from America, not closer.
Not all that is Western is American.
I think my point is, Americans think the rest of the world cries itself to sleep at night longing for America to remake the world in it's image.
By
-epm, at 6:24 PM
Right. I'm going to try to shorten your point.
They want some American ideals, but not to be American.
That's why the Us abandoning its ideals is such a big deal.
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 6:36 PM
Thank you for taking my foot out of my overly pedantic mouth. :) You sum it up well.
By
-epm, at 7:57 PM
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