Anti-Americanism: It's About American Power, Not Policy
By Soeren Kern
http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/12/antiamericanism_its_about_amer.html
Soeren Kern has penned a very thoughtful article at AmericanThinker this morning.
Bill Clinton has promised that President Hillary will dispatch him and George H.W. Bush abroad to repair the supposed damage to our foreign relations allegedly wrought by George W. Bush. Hillary Clinton herself says she would "send a message heard across the world: The era of cowboy diplomacy is over."
How can America improve its image abroad? Answers to this question are being bandied by all of the presidential hopefuls. John McCain promises to "immediately close Guantanamo Bay." Ron Paul and Barack Obama both say they would withdraw American troops from Iraq.
Soeren Kern provides historical factlines concerning why "they hate us" overseas and what we would need to do to make them "not hate us", the costs of such, and why it would never work anyway.
Better, therefore, if the next president focuses on keeping America strong and secure, rather than on pleasing those who will never like the United States, even if its foreign policy changes.
Better, also, for the next president to focus on wielding American power wisely, because doing so will earn the United States (grudging) respect, which in the game of unstable relationships that characterizes modern statecraft, is far more important than love.
As a child I recall wondering why some other kids "hated me". No matter what I analyzed; it never added up. And as an adult, from time to time, I still wonder the same when I meet up with various rudenesses, incivilities, and outright bigotries.
There are things about myself I cannot change or will not change. The former because I can't and the latter is because to do so goes against all that uphold.
And so as I a child I resolved to not only make attempts to understand the "hatred" but to understand how to make myself less "hated" through a stronger self defense. I had no control over why one would choose to hate me; therefore, my best policy was to improve in the ways I responded to such hatred, so that I might be less hated by being more respected.
Sometimes that meant returning a civil response to a hateful charge; but other times that meant a swift, firm and rapid "in your face" to the hater.
Knowing and understanding the difference between those two is absolutely important.
3 comments:
One minor problem here, Alia... not with your tangent on why the US is hated overseas. But a major faux pas with Kern's story...
The notion that Bush the elder and Clinton will travel together overseas to mend relationships, supposedly destroyed by Bush the younger, is one concocted by a wishful Bill Clinton, wistful for the limelight and company of the int'l community once more. But it ain't gonna happen.
CNN ran a story yesterday which included statements from Bush 41 that he had no intention of going on such a mission with Teflon Bill at Hillary's bidding. And that he wholely supports his son's foreign policy.
In other words, in his opinion, no apologies or groveling necessary. Teflon Bill will be traveling alone... that is unless he doesn't mutilate his wife's chances at the WH first.
One has to wonder how Kern missed the emphatic denial of such a trip by Bush 41, and instead used it as the lead for the story.
As for being hated.... the book, "The Ugly American" was written back in 1958. Eisenhower was President. It was a year Sputnik fell from orbit, first class postage was 3 cents, de Gaulle and Khrushchev came to power, Elvis joins the Army, and Eisenhower sent Marines into Lebanon.
We were hated back then for whatever head scratchin' reasons. Certainly none that are cited today. It appears we are just a good target to hate... for whatever reason that suits the hater. It's too bad that all too many that share that hate are denizens here, born and bred in the USA.
But one big difference... back then, we didn't give a whit about being adored by the int'l community.
Ahhhh.. the good old days...
Indeed, lol, for the good old days, always never better than in hindsight.
It struck me, reading the article, Bill Clinton was nuancing about the specific fund-raisers he and Former President Bush had done, and had done very successfully, like tsunami relief aide.
Former President Clinton attempted to elide and morph that good thing into something it was not, specifically not.
He will not get another crack at the bat in this regard. And so he tried it, anyway.
New article today, Alia (12/20/07) from Politico.
Excerpt:
The former President Bush's office later released a statement saying that he “has never discussed an ‘around-the-world-mission’ with either former President Bill Clinton or Sen. Clinton, nor does he think such a mission is warranted since he is proud of the role America continues to play around the world as the beacon of hope for freedom and democracy.”
At the press conference, the president picked up on that and replied, to laughter: “Well, 41 didn't think it's necessary. Sounds like it's going to be a one-man trip.”
Yup... no groveling for success against the Global Islamic Jihad Movement is necessary.
Post a Comment