Global Power in Decline: Debate Reveals US Foreign Policy Stuck in the Past

[sysop]

The US faces many pressing issues in the near future. But none of them got much air time on Tuesday night in the debate between President Barack Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney. Instead, the two candidates appear stuck in the Bush worldview, and reveal a global power on the decline.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...-a-862873.html

[SHBasse]

Originally Posted by sysop

The US faces many pressing issues in the near future. But none of them got much air time on Tuesday night in the debate between President Barack Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney. Instead, the two candidates appear stuck in the Bush worldview, and reveal a global power on the decline.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...-a-862873.html

The refference to a better undrstanding of the challenges today is fine, but the rest of the article misses the real point - those debates are amed at a small domestic segment of the population. The real understanding and handeling of foreign policy issues is taking place behind closed dores!

That statement describes me as an American: not interested in being the global-police, and also not interested in dealing with or submitting to foreigners, who I see as vaguely criminal, devious, and hypocritical. And I have never liked the military engagements made by the US government, which seem whimsical, egocentric, elitist, and greed-oriented, like ignoring the genocide in Rwanda and then dropping depleted Uranium on Serbian civilians by the same president, who apparently had some loyalty/elitist ties to Northern Europe. Though my ancestors were all from Northern Europe, I cannot stand this form of elitism. Also, I hate in when foreign nations like Israel beg the USA for military assistance to their pointless and useless nationalist cause. Apparently it only takes a nation having an anti-Semite leader to drag the entire US military into war, as if every square inch of the world would bow to this political-correctness.

[nevermind]

The CIA is 'investing' 87 million in trying to get president Correa deposed, just after failing to oust Hugo Chavez who got re-elected with a bigger majority. And all because they were slapped awake with a video showing planned and will full murder of 2 Reuter Journalists and two children, by Julian Assange and they don't like it up them.

As long as Wikileaks were reporting China's censorship they were OK, but when it decided to inform us of US double standards and split tongue speak in the west, they turned on Julian with trumped up charges.

China's investment of 47 billion in Venezuela, some of it might end up cancelling out the CIA pennies, will ensure that venezuela stays on its own course. US power is waning and sending armed carrier groups into the South China sea will not change the equasion.

[Kofi]

The United States picked the wrong enemies. It wasn't necessary to ceize control of the former pieces of the Russian empire and encircle Russia. It was not necessary to antagonize the muslims. And it was a substantial mistake to withdraw from Europe. The United States are not the defining nation anymore. Their overstreching military spending is going to destroy their economy.

[longknife]

This article, to me, was no more than yet another line of "let's all get together and be one world under the United Nations."

No thank you. I have absolutely no desire to have another nation tell me how the USA should run. I also detest this inane attempt by the UN to "monitor" the upcoming election.

If it weren't for the USA, Europe would still be struggling to recover from WWII. You've been able to build up your socialist "government-give-me" governments as you did not need to spend extensive amounts of money on national defense.

What I want my government to do is whatever is necessary to protect me from terrorists and to fix our economic problems by getting out of our way.

You socialist hate Gov [soon to be Pres] Romney because he wants to do just that - and not pander to the EU or UN.

Originally Posted by nevermind

The CIA is 'investing' 87 million in trying to get president Correa deposed,

But why depose him suddenly? Well, he withdrew all his troops from the School of Americas, which were being trained as paramilitaries. He did this only recently, and these paras are killers who guard Coke, Chiquita, and dont mind killing Indians, women, or children, thought they have been known to assassinate Union Leaders. I am really surprised to learn about the corporate fascist policies we have in Latin America, supposedly to stop communism, but actually just to protect corporatism.

[nevermind]

Originally Posted by retarded-freak

But why depose him suddenly? Well, he withdrew all his troops from the School of Americas, which were being trained as paramilitaries. He did this only recently, and these paras are killers who guard Coke, Chiquita, and dont mind killing Indians, women, or children, thought they have been known to assassinate Union Leaders. I am really surprised to learn about the corporate fascist policies we have in Latin America, supposedly to stop communism, but actually just to protect corporatism.

yeah, not much cop, but they will try anything to lay their hands on ASSANGE, the man is getting thinner in his Embassy prison and is in need of a doctor, so it seems.

Correa is also elected by a greater majority than any of the US last ten presidents. There are opposition parties and we can't fetter bankers in the job, that would be a retrograde step.

[vinzclortho]

Yes, sure, all this is true; the US now looks and acts a lot the old USSR about 1985. The end will be about the same. Some sort of sudden withdrawal and the associated power or influence vacuum.

The real question is: "What is Europe going to do when it happens?" Clearly the rag-tag collection of states and quasi-states, led by western EU apparatchiks (we call them "hacks" here in the US) who are trying to implement the out dated cold war foreign policy of the US will do nothing. They cannot even figure out a way to let that artificial 19th Century freak called Belgium go away or to clearly say that a series of very corrupt governments in Greece and very stupid governments in Ireland and Spain made promises that no reasonable person could accept a face value and therefore force the speculators to take their losses. Recently, Russia did it, Argentina has often done it and in the 19th Century 10 US states did it. Make the stinking speculators take there losses!

From where I sit here in the US, my impression is that the people here are getting ready to take a long vacation from the world. The Europeans got their vacation from 1945 to the present; the Russians started their vacation in 1990 and now it is our turn.

My suggestion is that NATO should go the way of the Warsaw Pact and that the Europeans west of the Vistula and find a way to deal with the Russian Federation and the Muslim world on their own.

The first step is for the Europeans to stop electing people who mindlessly endorse every stupid idea that comes out of the oligarchy now in control in Washington, DC.

Originally Posted by vinzclortho

Yes, sure, all this is true; the US now looks and acts a lot the old USSR about 1985. The end will be about the same. Some sort of sudden withdrawal and the associated power or influence vacuum.

The real question is: "What is Europe going to do when it happens?" Clearly the rag-tag collection of states and quasi-states, led by western EU apparatchiks (we call them "hacks" here in the US) who are trying to implement the out dated cold war foreign policy of the US will do nothing. They cannot even figure out a way to let that artificial 19th Century freak called Belgium go away or to clearly say that a series of very corrupt governments in Greece and very stupid governments in Ireland and Spain made promises that no reasonable person could accept a face value and therefore force the speculators to take their losses. Recently, Russia did it, Argentina has often done it and in the 19th Century 10 US states did it. Make the stinking speculators take there losses!

From where I sit here in the US, my impression is that the people here are getting ready to take a long vacation from the world. The Europeans got their vacation from 1945 to the present; the Russians started their vacation in 1990 and now it is our turn.

My suggestion is that NATO should go the way of the Warsaw Pact and that the Europeans west of the Vistula and find a way to deal with the Russian Federation and the Muslim world on their own.

The first step is for the Europeans to stop electing people who mindlessly endorse every stupid idea that comes out of the oligarchy now in control in Washington, DC.

This sounds like a dream. If only mainstream culture could release the USA from it's servitude as the international big brother. Canada has been enjoying this reality all along. Time to immigrate to Finland?