Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Rough Sailing for the U.S.
One of the many problems with having a President that has lost all credibility as a leader is the fact that everyone knows it and is becoming very reluctant to go alone with the Americans based on his word. The world has listened to Bush for too many years telling one tall tale after the other. South America has now taken a decidedly left turn in it's politics. One prevailing theme of politics in the south seems to be to not be taken advantage of by the U.S. The sentiment doesn't stop with South America. At home as well as abroad, not to many trust George. From Okinawa to South America, co-operation with the U.S. is going way down. Germany has released a suspected Hezbollah member despite a request from the U.S. not too. Perhaps anger over the CIA spy plane thing? In the U.S. itself it appears George may have broken their own laws by illegally spying on Americans. A show stopper if ever I've heard of one.
The real tragedy of all this is the fact that the U.S. really can be the leader of the free world that they have always claimed and aspired to be. It's the old problem of the reality living up to the ideal. In general, the people of the U.S. really are motivated by the desire to help and support others who are in need. The flaw comes in the way in which this is done. Along with the aid comes corporate America who very often treat the countries and the people they are helping as if they own it. Very little thought and respect has been given to the culture that exists in said nations. The Christian Peacemakers might be a great example of the right way to do things. The members who have been kidnapped in Iraq have received massive support all over the world. Muslim and Christian alike have called for their release. This is because they have helped these people without the insult of evangelizing to them or insisting that they adopt American values, structures, or beliefs. They are a refreshing example of real assistance and help. There are others who do the same. Trouble is, they are competing with the reputations of the American government and firms like Haliburton who act only with self-interest and sometimes significantly shady character. The contract awarding and administration in Iraq stands as a lovely example. The Iraqi people may long remember that way that and the oil revenues were handled.
The real tragedy of all this is the fact that the U.S. really can be the leader of the free world that they have always claimed and aspired to be. It's the old problem of the reality living up to the ideal. In general, the people of the U.S. really are motivated by the desire to help and support others who are in need. The flaw comes in the way in which this is done. Along with the aid comes corporate America who very often treat the countries and the people they are helping as if they own it. Very little thought and respect has been given to the culture that exists in said nations. The Christian Peacemakers might be a great example of the right way to do things. The members who have been kidnapped in Iraq have received massive support all over the world. Muslim and Christian alike have called for their release. This is because they have helped these people without the insult of evangelizing to them or insisting that they adopt American values, structures, or beliefs. They are a refreshing example of real assistance and help. There are others who do the same. Trouble is, they are competing with the reputations of the American government and firms like Haliburton who act only with self-interest and sometimes significantly shady character. The contract awarding and administration in Iraq stands as a lovely example. The Iraqi people may long remember that way that and the oil revenues were handled.
# posted by Wil Smith : 6:07 p.m.
