pokermind wrote:Most Americans cannot understand that the world does not view us as the savior, the good guys in white hats. But name another nation sponsoring so many 'regime changes' in recent memory? The following cartoon give an idea we use force not thought to solve problems:
Is it any wonder we are not loved?
Poker
And even if quite a bit exaggerated, the cartoon also has a very valid point.
An example could be how USA is the only nation since the Mongol khanate that uses massmurder of noncombatants as a part of warfare. Some of the nastier regimes have done that kind of thing as part of occupation, but using it as warfare?
About a million Iraqi´s died for no better reason than "we have the ability to drop bombs where we please, why shouldn´t we use it?".
And "sponsoring regime changes" isn´t the important bit, sponsoring nasty regimes and dictatures, THAT is a problem.
When the only point of regime change comes back to "we want someone who will let us exploit their country as we please", well no shit sherlock, of course you´re not going to win any popularity contests.
That´s just a modern variation on bad old colonialism, something Europe learned the hard way that it was a REALLY BAD idea.
And now USA insists on NOT learning the exact same lesson.
Howard T. Map-addict wrote:I recognize the flags of Germany, Britain, and US.
The other two I guess at.
If the Map-Addict doesn't know them, who will?
Most MAPS do not have flags on them.
HTM
You don´t even recognise the Spanish flag?
Blue/white flag is Argentina.
Sometimes the US is on the receiving end of the help.
After that Oregon volcano decades ago,
Japan sent help to us.
When Katrina hit New Orleans, Sweden had our emergency response unit ready to go mostly in 24 hours, but USA kept saying "we don´t need help, don´t you come here and try to help!"...
Bigass water purification plants, powerplants and other stuff that is the standard loadout.
Could have been in New Orleans about a week before USA managed to get the same gear into place. In the end, they were sort of invited after more than 2 weeks, because USAs own effort had still not managed to get enough gear running.
The same unit arrived in the Philippines about 3 days after the recent nasty hurricane, and much of that was transit time.
We do it because we want to help and because we can. USA seems busy whining if people doesn´t worship it for whatever it does.
PeterZ wrote:Yes, I do. They have to begin acting like grownups and protect themselves from hostile neighbors. Why must we pay for their protection with blood and treasure?
Don´t you have ANY clue? USA is the one that insisted to keep European militaries down after WWII and ever since.
You actually whine about a situation your own nation manufactured 100% deliberately!
Damn, that is just so pathetic.
And with USA behaving like a spoiled brat, you talk about growing up? Hilarious.
And your pro-isolationist arguments merely cement the obvious childishness. You sound like toddlers in a sandbox.
I knew the others. This is the problem, I consider myself fairly well educated, but we get little course work on the rest of the world in our schools. We Americans are mostly ignorant of the rest of the world, and the negative opinions of our country our policies have caused. 
and, Mangy Fur the Smart Alick Spacecat.