What is your opinion on which countries have a good or bad influence and why?

It is interesting that the U.S is so far down (I would put it further down) and I was wondering, being as most of the people here are Americans and Republicans, how you felt about that? As well as how you felt about the terrible reputation Israel has (I agree with it's placement), being as the U.S is so pro-Israel.

(I wanted to put a poll on this but don't know how, could someone please explain the process in the "Forum Rules" section. Thanks)

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"Cogito ergo sum"

I'd say that the US is too blindly pro-Israel in general, and that our foreign policy and international relations were destroyed by the arrogance and clumsiness of the Bush administration.

I'd say Europe fails to understand that there are regimes that need to be dealt with with force, and that Europe fails to contribute solutions to any international problems, while only offering tons of demands.

China and Russia are even more obstructionist and offer little or nothing to solving international problems, and sometimes even contributing to the worsening of a problem (i.e. China and it's cooperation with the government of Sudan).

What is your basis for saying that most of the people here "are Americans and Republicans?"

Click on "Thread Tools", a menu comes down and then you click on "Add a Poll in this thread." It's a pulldown menu at the top of the thread.


WEB

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Thanks for the thread advice.

Which regimes? Iraq? I would say that Europe fully understands when force needs to be used and that the US doesn't understand when not to use force. In Europe, force is the last resort as they have learnt over the centuries that war should never be the first resort. And I think everyone can admit, now, that going into Iraq was a mistake that the US made, disregarding the European vetoes in the UN.

Well I think it is true that most of the people here are Americans, unless I am totally mistaken. As for Republican, I say this because on every subject I get into, I feel like it is me against everybody else. And being as I am a democrat, and that the argument that I have had are with people more on the right than me, I would say they were Republicans.

Totally agree. The arrogance of the Bush administration is also shown by not respecting UN vetoes with Iraq.

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"Cogito ergo sum"

I don't agree with that. Europe does not know when force needs to be used, and Europe doesn't wield much force anyway. Europe FREE-RIDES off of the massive military spending of the United States. While we use our military to fight global threats, Europe says hey, the US has got all the expensive weapons and so we don't have to worry about Russia or Iraq or Iran or China, we'll just put our money into social programs and let the US pay the bills for the military.

As far as Europe's track record for decision-making, it's pretty poor.

Europe advocates dialogue while genocide occurs in the Sudan.

Europe advocates diplomacy with Saddam Hussein, a person who did not comply with the UN for more than a decade.

France actually ASSISTED the Hutu in the Rwandan genocide in Operation Turquoise: BBC NEWS | Africa | France accused on Rwanda killings

France seems opposed to using force against Iran, which is a radical regime that oppresses its people, denies the Holocaust and has no reason to be pursing nuclear energy (since it is one of the wealthiest countries in the world for oil and natural gas)

That's a pretty incompetent track-record, not a competent one.

You're a democrat? Are you a citizen of France or the United States? As for everyone being against you, well I oppose the arrogant remark you made to another poster who was trying to be nice to your country, but other than that I'd say the forum is pretty balanced in the center. Personally, I am a Democrat.

I think that Bush did the right thing by invading Iraq, but the way he went about it was all wrong. The whole "Old Europe" thing with insults, and Bush just failed to win allies. He failed to charm them. His overall foreign policy (which as you say, includes Kyoto, and the ABM Treaty, subsidies for American farmers, debt relief for third world countries, and the hostility of members of his political party towards the UN) has really been little more than a middle finger to the world. International opinion is important and when you have no allies, then you realize why.


WEB

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As if the US knows better than everybody else. You're condemning this type of arrogance as a cause of the bad Europe-US relations and that George Bush is to blame but,even though I agree, you are doing exactly the same thing.

I believe that diplomacy is the best option and that war should be the last resort. And, Oh no! Saddam Hussein didn't comply with the UN! Check out how many UN resolutions Israel isn't respecting (UN Resolution 242 ring a bell?) and for how long! As for the non-compliance of Saddam Hussein, he did let IAEA (UN nuclear inspectors) come into his country to look from "WMDs" and on top of that they didn't find anything and the US still attacked.

France has installed multiple airlifts to provide aid to the Darfour victims as well as other actions. And what has the US done? While Europe successfully negotiates with the Sudanese government, George Bush puts in place sanctions that are starving more that now even the people of the Sudan and the President really doesn't care about these sanctions.

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"Cogito ergo sum"

Fred Thompson has an insightful take on Darfur...

(snip)

Recently, the new UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that the root cause of the current genocide in Darfur is … global warming. Now if you've been following the tragedy of the Darfur region in the African nation of Sudan, you know how absurd that statement is.

(snip)

Bloody regional warfare stretches back centuries but, in modern times, the country has been in pretty much of a constant state of war since the 1950s.

(snip)

Two Muslim factions, divided along racial lines, are fighting for control of Darfur.

(snip)

Why, then, would the new UN Secretary General blame climate change? I think it’s pretty obvious.

Blaming the Islamic government and groups that have manipulated events in Sudan will get him nothing but enemies. Blaming global warming, however, is basically the same thing as blaming America. America is by no means the only major source of greenhouse gases, but we've taken the most political heat.

(snip)

There is a lesson to be learned here, though. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is arguably the most powerful man in the international community today. We know he's unwilling to blame those who actually gave the orders to commit genocide in Darfur. And apparently he's happy to shift the blame for ongoing deaths to those living peaceful, productive lives in the West.

(snip)

It’s not very encouraging though when the head of the world’s leading international body uses climate change as an all purpose excuse in order to avoid hard realities.

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To those who realize there are more than two schools of thought, you're looking pretty foolish right about now. . .

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"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom."
Isaac Asimov

I think that's a hypocritical comment. You think that Europe knows better than everybody else, but when I say that they don't, first you make a false statement, implying that I think "the US knows better than everybody else" and then you maintain the Europe "knows better than everybody else." That is sheer hypocrisy, sir.

Well, we tried diplomacy for more than 11 years and it didn't work. It's not diplomacy anymore at that point, it's giving up on the international law that people of your ideology are supposed to cherish.

Well let's look at donations to the world food program which feeds the people of countries like Darfur:

Fighting cuts off 355,000 people from food aid in Darfur | WFP - Latest news - News - Press Releases
So even though Europe is twice as large as the United States (population wise) the US contributes $379 million and Europe contributes about $60 million, the US contributes 6 times more. So given the relatively small contributions from Europe, who really does not care about the people of Sudan?


WEB

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As for the OP, the United States does good in the world, but as far as it's diplomatic relations with other countries: I agree with W.E.B. that the Bush admin. has damaged its reputation quite a bit. W.E.B. is also right on the money WRT China and Russia, from everything I've read in the past.

Out of everyone on that list, Canada seems to be the most benign of the group and arguably the winner here WRT their standing in diplomatic relations.

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"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom."
Isaac Asimov

I think we all know who the real masters of successful foreign relations are.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign...s_of_Greenland

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"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom."
Isaac Asimov