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Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.

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Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Garden Party

You can't please everyone, goes the song, and we are being told continuously that the US can't please anyone.  That the entire world now hates us due to ---.   But in Popularity Contest  Why they hate, and like, usVictor Davis Hanson infoms us that some people are very pleased by America.

First let's take a look about what we already know, because we keep being told about it

The latest Pew poll of June 2007 purports to offer a comprehensive survey of what the world thinks of the United

States. Polls, of course, can be unreliable; and much of the commonly expressed anti-Americanism seems to be a mere reflection of disdain shown by our own intellectuals and academics, Hollywood, and the media. While it is hard to separate what foreigners feel about Americans in general from their opinions about the United States government in particular, the results of this latest survey are both predictable and astonishing.

The nations of the Middle East and other Islamic countries, of course, poll anti-United States across the board, from Palestine to Morocco. And therein arise some interesting paradoxes. Kuwait, once extinguished until the American military restored it, is the most pro-American nation of the Arab Middle East. Yet, even there, as many Kuwaitis have an unfavorable opinion of America as a favorable one.

Even more perplexing are the attitudes voiced by some key European countries — France (60 percent unfavorable to the U.S.), Germany (66 percent unfavorable), and Spain (60 percent). Millions of Europeans in these countries express a much more negative view of the United States than do Hugo Chavez’s Venezuelans. So much for the supposedly sweeping changes in France and Germany that brought the Sarkozy and Merkel governments to power.

But who really cares to calibrate all the reasons why the Germans hated us when Ronald Reagan deployed Pershing missiles to protect them, or why the Greeks hated us when Madeline Albright tried to stop Balkan genocide, or why the French hated us for ending the once lucrative Baathist regime in Iraq? Instead, at some point Americans should ask themselves how they can continue to be allied militarily with countries whose populations have a more negative view of us than do our supposed rivals in Russia (48 percent unfavorable) and China (57 percent).

 

Now let us look at a few things the media has not been to free in telling us about.

 

Contrast all that dislike with those nations who appreciate the United States, which tells us something much

different about America’s role in the world. The Kenyans and Ghanaians, for example, reveal more admiration for the United States (87 and 80 percent, respectively) than do we Americans ourselves.

In fact, all of sub-Saharan Africa — poor and with a past of exploitation — has an unbelievably high regard for the U.S. Perhaps black Africans appreciate our support for democracy, realize that we were not colonialists, see that blacks are succeeding in the U.S. in a way unthinkable elsewhere, know that we spearhead the global effort to bring AIDS relief and stop the genocide in Darfur, and sympathize with their own long struggle against radical Islam.

Much of Eastern Europe is similarly well-inclined. Poland, for example (61 percent approval rating), does not trust Russia — and does not trust Europe to offer any help in a future hour of crisis

Likewise, many countries of Latin America — Mexico, Chile, Peru — poll staunchly pro-American. We have tried to support these shaky Latin American democracies, welcomed their immigrants, and allowed billions of dollars to be sent back as worker remittances. And unlike a Spain, France, Germany, the Muslim Middle East, Russia, or China, such confident emerging nations also are not hung up on perceived past grandeur, blame-gaming the new superpower for their own subordinate roles.

Indeed, how strange that these poor countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, and South America are more favorable to America than are oil-rich sheikdoms, rich European socialist republics, and Middle East recipients of massive U.S. aid.

The more confident a nation is, even when poor, the more likely it seems to admire America. Some of our best supporters turn out to be one-billion person India (59 percent favorable rating), Japan (61 percent), and South Korea (58 percent) — all democratic, capitalist juggernauts, and appreciative of liberal American trade policy and U.S. military support. Again, should we Americans value the friendship of such democracies — or that of a China that cheats on international trade accords and intimidates its neighbors?

For me the most puzzling is Britain , the British public now barely expresses a favorable impression of the United States (51 percent).

 When compared with Russia (48 percent unfavorable), doesn't that mean 52 percent favorable?

So it appears the world alignment is Russia and China split evenly, Muslims and European countries in overwhelming opposition and the rest of the World Favorable.

That last bit seems to be a secret as far as the Mainstream Media is concerned.

For the future no matter how chilly US=Russian diplomacy may get at times IMO we should bide our time.

The day may come when China decides that they should have Siberia with its riches in natural resources and petroleum.

I can see a deal being struck between China and the OPEC nations.

For support in their annexation of Siberia they will support OPEC price supports and maybe even sweeten the pot with Oil sales under world prices to OPEC much like the Oil for Food Scams.

Both parties will then explain to Europe that any support of Russia will result in, shall we say delays and shortages in Energy supplies.

Europe will do nothing and might even justify the transfer. They did the same thing to Czechoslovakia, remember?

It will be left to the US, Japan, India and the Nations of Eastern Europe, South America, Africa and Non-Muslim Asian Nations to take a stand in support of Russia.

If History is any indicator the EU and the UN will take no action other than Hot Air.

Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson's Website, Rosemary's Thoughts, Adam's Blog, Big Dog's Weblog, Right Truth, Inside the Northwest Territory, Nuke's News & Views, Webloggin, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, The Florida Masochist, Conservative Cat, Adeline and Hazel, Public Domain Clip Art, Conservative Thoughts, Pursuing Holiness, third world county, Faultline USA, Wake Up America, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, 4 Time Father?, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate's Cove, Planck's Constant, Right Voices, The Yankee Sailor, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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Posted by ky/kentuckydan at 7:23 AM CDT
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Updated: Wednesday, 15 August 2007 8:07 AM CDT

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