Most people in the US and in many other parts of the globe might
agree that now, after this horrendous attack on the US, America is
headed towards a war on terrorism, whatever that may entail.
With all of the venom cursing through this forum over the last five
days, I have learned some things, but have also had to sift through
quite a bit of rhetoric. I have many, many questions on my mind
lately, and like many have sought out viewpoints of others in order
to try and make sense of everything. Some people have tried to
post reasonable questions with the apparent aim of being
elucidated. Instead, many obviously well-educated people have been
content to hurl assailments at sincere posters, forwarding their
own agendas.
Americans probably are isolated and ignorant of what most of the
rest of the world thinks of them. So, here we have a global
community of people with a common bond (albeit toys, or digicams),
sharing thoughts, family, photographs and other benign things
suddenly turning into a negative, tension-filled forum where
everyone chooses sides and no one cares to listen to one another.
But I do wish to learn from people on this forum. So here are some
questions that I have been struggling with that I would like other
people's thoughts on.
1) If America is hated by so many thoughout the world, why? Is it
because of our government's policies? Becasue of the way our
citizens behave when they travel? If it's our policies, then what
do others think of the billions of dollars that the US spends every
year on foreign aid, assistance, loans, etc.? Do benefactors of
our largesse wish that we didn't spend this money? Should the US
stop all foreign funds that our governments spends? What about our
troops in foreign countries? Are these the problem? If so, should
we pull all of our troops and let the countries simply defend
themselves? Does anyone find any value in anything the US
government does in the world now or in the past?
IMO, the relationship between the US and the rest of the world is
very complex, a blending of love and hate. There is admiration (for
the freedom, the wealth, etc), there is envy (basically for the
same reasons), but this is only one part of the matter. I think
Americans are largely viewed as very nice people individually, but
that their foreign policy has sometimes been considered very clumsy
(little understanding of foreign cultures, something in the line of
what was said in the book 'The Ugly American'), sometimes extremely
cynical (remember the Kissinger era, general Pinochet's coup in
Chile, etc?), and more often inconsistent. In the Middle East, the
US have often supported brutal rulers and leaders no matter what
they did, as long as they were perceived as allies against
communism or whatever (the Shah, Saddam Hussein during his war
against Iran, Saudi Arabia's regime). Similar comments could be
made concerning South America and other parts of the world.
Of course Europe has it's fair share of responsibility in this, but
because the US are the most powerful nation in the world, they are
the first to come under scrutiny. And sometimes Americans are a
shade too convinced that they HAVE THE best democracy in the world.
What about European democracies? And even more important, IMO
democracy is never something you have or you own for good, but
something you strive to reach and to improve...
2) The US is likely to fight a global war on terrorism. I have my
own thoughts on how this might unfold. But, what do others think?
I'm interested in both the logistics and others' thoughts on higher
questions, such as should this war happen, especially those that
have an historical perspective.
I very much hope it will not become a real war, it could be far
more difficult than expected in the heat of present anger, and it
could have disastrous consequences. Terrorism has to be addressed
in a very strong manner, and it would be nice if it could be
eradicated, but I don't think that armies are the best tool for
such purpose, since heavy 'side casualties' could easily backfire
and make terrorists stronger than ever. Intelligence, diplomacy,
etc, can work very well too and with far less danger for the
world's democracies.
I also believe that terrorism will just rise again somewhere else,
stronger and better organized, if the reasons why it recruits
supporters and 'martyrs' so easily are not examined, and the
appropriate answers found.
3) Do people believe that Arabs and Jews can live in peace? Is
America's backing of Israel the only reason that the rest of the
world dislikes Americans? Do Israelis believe that we are not
supportive enough?
Yes, Arabs and Jews can live in peace. As a matter of fact most
neighbouring arabic countries have no intention whatsoever of
having any new war with Israel. Now the Palestinian question must
be addressed: it's high time the US put more pressure mainly on
Israel to achieve piece, although it will be a slow process. Why I
say more pressure mainly on Israel is because, right at the moment,
the Palestinians have very little to loose so Israel certainly has
to make more concessions, and the US have very strong financial
means of pressure on Israel (this kind of pressure lead directly to
the Oslo agreements, some years ago). Stopping for good further
colonization of the occupied territories would be a first step in
the right direction, and would make it easier for Arafat to quiet
down the Palestinians and to control them (at last he would have
some positive result to show them)...
I doubt it for the rest of the world, but yes in the Middle East
blind support of Israel is one of the main reasons why Americans
are hated by a few and not liked by more (but certainly not all).
BTW, it is interesting to note that before the foundation of Israel
Americans were even admired by most people in the Middle East,
because the were not perceived as colonialists as the British or
the French, rather the opposite. But what happened with Israel and
other events changed this very significantly.
4) Understanding that there are victims of terrorist attacks around
the world, how can governments around the world stop global
terrorism?
See number 2). If less countries and people are in a desperate
state of misery, they will be far less willing to follow dangerous
leaders. Help them to become more prosperous and democratic
(instead of financing dictators who may be temporary allies, but
are very prone to changing sides later on), and they will stop
supporting the terrorists. I am afraid terrorism is unlikely to
disappear completely, but at least it could be spectacularly
reduced.
Sorry about the length of this post. I certainly don't believe
that people will feel compelled to tackle all of these qustions,
but I am honestly interested in anything anyone has to say on these
issues, regardless of their perspective.
My hope is for a vibrant, productive discussion.
Kind regards to all.
Mike M
Sorry, my post was even longer than yours, but it was long overdue.
Best regards
Marcel-Etienne
That has played a large part in my confusion in why people hate "Americans" versus the decisions made by the "American govt.". At the same time, I could deduce that I was also kinder to the people I came across than the average American was. I may have taken more interest in learning the language and crucial aspects of the culture before presenting myself than most people would.
)