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The US has been voted as the most significant threat to world peace in a survey across 68 different countries. Anti-American sentiment was not only recorded in antagonistic countries, but also in many allied NATO partners like Turkey and Greece.
A global survey conducted by the Worldwide Independent Network and Gallup at the end of 2013 revealed strong animosity towards the US’s role as the world’s policeman. Citizens across over 60 nations were asked: “Which country do you think is the greatest threat to peace in the world today?”
The US topped the list, with 24 percent of people believing America to be the biggest danger to peace. Pakistan came second, with 8 percent of the vote and was closely followed by China with 6 percent. Afghanistan, Iran, Israel and North Korea came in joint fourth place with 5 percent of the vote.
The threat from the US was rated most highly in the Middle East and North Africa, those areas most recently affected by American military intervention. Moreover, the survey showed that even Americans regard their country as a potential threat with 13 percent of them voting the US could disrupt global status quo.
I cannot tell you how much I want to get all indignant and say "Nuh uh!" But honestly I can't do that.
We are indeed the biggest threat to world peace and only a nationalist moron from America, or as we call them, a Republican, would think otherwise.
I hoped against hope that once we had Obama in the White House our policies would change so that the rest of the world would respond to us with respect instead of fear, however to my great frustration that simply has not been the case.
At least not yet.
O/t but skank is off the ny times best sellers list/non fiction and amazon has the "book" at # 5850 in sales/hardcover!!!! Seven weeks since the release baaawwwaaaaahhhhh!!!!
ReplyDeleteToast!!!
When are the fec filings released for public perusal?
Happy new year:)
DeletePoor Christmas, trusted having it's heart protected by a boob like Sarah, and it ranks at 5850 in seven weeks.
"Holy Unflippinbelievable"!
Christmas haz a sad.
Individually, we can be very sweet, but as a group, not really. Since we’re by far the most powerful nation militarily, we must make decisions like Solomon, and not everyone will agree with those judgments. I knew a man who defended attacking Japan with the bomb because “they would have fought to the last man, woman and child.” He’d spent time there and knew the people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. While internal strife rages in many parts of the world, frequently in places that can ill afford to destroy crop lands, kill, maim and starve their own inhabitants, we're seen as the most dangerous because we have the most power. Fortunately, we have a president who does not want to use that power aggressively and for no reason. Leadership does matter. Times were different when George W. Bush was in office and all of our actions were aggressive. I think that many of the poll respondents were thinking that all American presidents are like George W.
DeleteBeaglemom
This is a tough subject to discuss, but part of the reason they dropped the bombs on Japan is due to the incredible abuse, murder, and torture of the Allied troops in death camps, and the horrific violence perpetrated on all the civilian populations they conquered.
DeleteIf you've never read up on the Bataan death march, it will give you a small picture of how terrible the Japanese military was.
Personally, I think that Truman should have ordered the bomb dropped off shore to show them what it would do, and have given them an ultimatum with a time limit.
We easily forget that after 4 years of a full-on national effort from 1941-1945 that we were in it to win at any cost.
I agree with you, a. j. Billings at 7:59 am, and have thought that the bomb should have been dropped off shore after warning the Japanese leadership to heed it closely. However, since the Japanese leadership failed to respond after the Hiroshima was bombing, I wonder whether they would have understood the seriousness of an offshore target. The military leadership in Japan was incredibly intransigent, much like the Nazis who kept fighting and sending people to their deaths in camps when they knew that they had lost the war. There is no reasonableness among fascists.
DeleteBeaglemom
I disagree, what did innocent ocean life do to the USA? Nothing, Drop the bomb where the cause of the pain and torture started, the actual land base of the enemy. It wasn't only the Bataan Death march, it was the fact that the Japanese would NEVER surrender. Not in their culture and not at that time.
DeleteYou'll also note that we did not drop the bomb on the scientists that promulgated chemical warfare in China, oh hell no. We grabbed them so fast and installed them in our own facilities so they could churn out shit for us.
You can thank The Bush Doctrine for that.
ReplyDeleteYou mean his world view, Charley?
DeleteIt doesn't help to have rogue legislators (thanks Michele Bachmann) roaming abroad, spreading lies.
Delete"Those People will be approaching us with flowers, thanking us" Darth "Newheart"Cheyney
DeleteIf we only had the wisdom of Solomon! I know there is a vast difference between how we are viewed as individuals and how our government is viewed. A sad commentary and so unnecessary in my opinion. I spent time in Nicaragua during the war, and people we met and stayed with begged us to go back and tell our government to stop killing them. How I wished I had the power to accomplish that!
ReplyDeleteIt's a good thought but slightly misworded. It would be truer if worded thusly:
ReplyDelete"If there is a US administration that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the Republicans. They don't care for human beings."
And one might even change it up a little more: "They don't care for human beings, only money."
It's just like a brilliant philosopher once said:
ReplyDeleteYou either die a hero or live to see yourself become the villain...
I cannot WAIT to enjoy the right wing gymnastics required to reject the reality of this survey.
O/T but Hey Guys! If you want to know how Obamacare is faring around the country, here's a little gem:
ReplyDeletehttp://acasignups.net/spreadsheet
And the rightwingers are losing their shit over it:
As Obamacare Sign-Ups Surge, So Does Conservative Rage
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/as-obamacare-signups-surge-so-does-rightwing-rage
If you want a graphic, bracing look at the collective nervous breakdown many right-wing anti-Obamacare dead-enders are undergoing as they make first contact with actual number of people who've gotten coverage because of Obamacare (Approximately 10 million so far) check out my twitter feed over the last 12 hours or so.
https://twitter.com/joshtpm/with_replies
I heard a guy on our local radio call in show today who admitted he didn't like President Obama, but he and his wife are now getting better insurance at 1/2 the price and a much lower deductible
DeleteThe host of the show asked him if he'd support Obama now. He said yes, in spite of his former stance!
NPR reported that so far, between Federal and State exchanges that nearly 2 million have signed up. Not sure where this guy gets the 10 million figure, perhaps he includes businesses?
Deletehttp://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/12/31/258686012/sebelius-touts-2-million-obamacare-enrollees
He probably includes Medicaid.
DeleteSaddens me,but doesn't surprise me that this is how our Country as a whole is viewed throughout the world.I do believe President Obama has done a lot to rehabilitate our country and our worldwide image.But,there's still so much work to be done to fix the damage done by the Bush/Cheney administration both at home and around the world.
ReplyDeleteFrom noble peace prize winner
ReplyDeleteTo most feared country in the world
Great accomplishment by Obama
Your are assuming the USA was highly regarded before Obama. Not the case at all. You have to remember Bush was in charge.
DeleteTheir perspective is 100% correct. Look at the truth and only the facts. They will tell you that the USA makes ANY OTHER COUNTRY YOU CAN THINK OF in the 200+ family of nations that inhabit this rock, look puny in terms of numbers of peoples killed.. Number of countries attacked, and numbers of state leaders murdered. We have the nastiest weapons on earth and the rest of the world believes we will use them IN A HEARTBEAT.
ReplyDeleteGryphen, respect or fear are not the only options, Disgust, mistrust, pity and many other labels might be better fits. It is funny how previous commenters picked the Japan war as the benchmark. That was one of the rare occasions for the USA of a legitimate action of defense. Few would dispute any nation's right to defend. America is built on repeated and frequent wars of offense to further principally economic greed. Less frequently have been actions of intervention with legitimate human rights issues at play and even these are most often contaminated by hidden economic agendas. If America was exceptional, it would teach its children in school of its history of aggression and displacement of democratic governments with dictatorships. Instead, it teaches blind nationalism at major sports events, with school marching bands, etc. Have you ever seen the rich have honor the troops stuff or military hardware displays at their ballets or operas or horse races? BTW, while 13% of Americans professed America to be the greatest threat, 17% of Canadians did as well.
ReplyDeleteWell Said!
DeleteI think one big mistake we made was in 1948 when the War Department became the Defense Department. That meant that congress stopped balking at "war appropriations" because they were now "defense spending," and, of course, good for the economy!
ReplyDeleteHow ironic: When we had a War Department, we concentrated on defending North America with our battleships and the Army's coast-defense guns. When it became the Defense Department, we shifted to going overseas to wage war.
Tom, in FL
Sadly, this perception will take a long time to change. Yeah, we're not liked much, and having idiots running around proclaiming "American Exceptionalism" doesn't help the cause, but why, when a catastrophe hits another country, anywhere, we're suddenly "not so bad" and are usually the first there to dig into our pockets, get people, food, equipment, water, medicine and help where it belongs?
ReplyDeleteAnd why do the children of the wealthiest countries come HERE to get degrees in Engineering, Physics, Science, Medicine etc THEN hightail it back to their countries once they get degrees from the best schools in the world?
We're just nasty that way, I suppose.