Laurel, Md.: In many areas of the world, most noteworthy the Middle East, the Cold War created a “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” mentality toward regimes we would otherwise not have approved of (Saddam and the Taliban come to mind).<\/a><\/p>\nUnder either Clinton or Bush the younger, did most of the world ever come to see U.S. foreign policy as standing for anything right, or just for our nationalisitc interests?<\/p>\n
John Lewis Gaddis: That’s sort of a loaded question — “did most of the world ever come to see U.S. foreign policy as standing for anything right” — and of course it’s impossible to answer precisely. But keep in mind one simple standard: how many people in the world would jump at the chance to move to the U.S. and become American citizens, if given the opportunity? Then balance that against the anti-American rhetoric that’s so prevalent, and see where you come out. The answer’s not obvious.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
That’s not a simple standard, that’s a stupid way of arriving to a conclusion that not everyone hates America. How many people would jump at the chance of living in America, Canada, or Western Europe? A lot, and it’s not because they want to be ‘American’ or Western, etc., it’s because they want to live COMFORTABLY. Asking if someone from a third or second world country wants to be ‘American’ is like asking an average American if they want to be rich. What do you expect people in a lower position to say?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Laurel, Md.: In many areas of the world, most noteworthy the Middle East, the Cold War created a “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” mentality toward regimes we would otherwise not have approved of (Saddam and the Taliban come to mind). Under either Clinton or Bush the younger, did most of the world […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[259],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Your Logical Fallacy de Jour - Prose Before Hos<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n