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| Europe |
| "Squandered the world's goodwill?" Not hardly! |
| 2006-09-12 |
| Anne Applebaum, London Telegraph I think it's worth looking back at what people really felt on September 11, 2001, because not everyone felt the same, then or later. Certainly it's true that, five years ago, Tony Blair spoke of standing "shoulder to shoulder" with America, that Iain Duncan Smith (remember him?) echoed him, and that Jacques Chirac was on his way to Washington to say the same. But it's also true that this initial wave of goodwill hardly outlasted the news cycle. Within a couple of days a Guardian columnist wrote of the "unabashed national egotism and arrogance that drives anti-Americanism among swaths of the world's population". A Daily Mail columnist denounced the "self-sought imperial role" of the United States, which he said had "made it enemies of every sort across the globe". That week's edition of Question Time featured a sustained attack on Phil Lader, the former US ambassador to Britain – and a man who had lost colleagues in the World Trade Centre – who seemed near to tears as he was asked questions about the "millions and millions of people around the world despising the American nation". At least some Britons, like many other Europeans, were already secretly or openly pleased by the 9/11 attacks. And all of this was before Afghanistan, before Tony Blair was tainted by his friendship with George Bush, and before anyone knew the word "neo-con", let alone felt the need to claim not to be one. The dislike of America, the hatred for what it was believed to stand for – capitalism, globalisation, militarism, Zionism, Hollywood or McDonald's, depending on your point of view – was well entrenched. To put it differently, the scorn now widely felt in Britain and across Europe for America's "war on terrorism" actually preceded the "war on terrorism" itself. It was already there on September 12 and 13, right out in the open for everyone to see. . . . . . . perhaps Europe's failure to enthusiastically join the "war on terrorism" was in some sense preordained. While not entirely incorrect, the notion that President Bush has wasted international post-9/11 sympathy is not entirely accurate either. As I say, at the time of the attacks, influential Europeans, and influential Britons, were already disinclined for their own reasons to sympathise with any American tragedy. . . . |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #20 Oh for the days when Governor Dubya of Texas was de facto responsible for downturns in the economy while Clinton was still POTUS; and for Dubya being "imperialist" only 8 months after being officially inaugurated, six of which are considered still "moving in/getting adjusted" times by most Poli Sci perts. And wasn't it the infamous Lefty US Ninth, NOT Dubya, that publicly announced that America was an "illegal" and "unconstitutional" nation??? How quickly eight years of respect and admiration for America under Great/Saint Bill, American and International Hero, became anti-American arrogance and hatred in eight months under a GOP Prez. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2006-09-12 23:58 |
| #19 Dave D. How about this? Take Old Ironsides, get her seaworthy for the trip, bring her to to the UN and start hammering on Koffi's shop with the 24 pounders until you trash the place and drive off the Riff Raff Rat Club. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2006-09-12 23:45 |
| #18 Damn, I swear these idjits going off about "we lost the world's goodwill" don't know a blessed thing about history. We've been dissed by Europe from the founding days of this nation. The "reasons" why we were found inferior by the intelligentsia have changed over the centuries (I believe the original diss was that nothing civilized could possibly come from such an untamed land, hence the French fascination with Ben Franklin.....look, he's NOT a savage! How could THAT be?). The rest of the world got in on it later (Latin America, Asia), but to act like all of a sudden they hate us is one of the biggest loads of crap imaginable. It's been fairly constant throughout history. They all hate us, but the minute some sh!t hits the fan, they have us on speed dial, begging for help from their American "friends". The only difference now is that with the Internet, we can see all the crap they are spreading almost as soon as they spew it. It used to take far longer, even as recently as the late 80's. What many of these other nations tend to forget is that not all Americans fit into the stereotype of being only able to communicate in English. They think that no one here could possibly speak Upper Revoltistanish, even though emigre communities are scattered throughout the land. The rest of the world hasn't changed. We have, and we are less tolerant of their crap. We fling it right back at them now (think Bolton), and they aren't used to that. If standing up for ourselves a little more pisses them off, well....bite me, pal. And if you hate America so damn much, stop killing yourselves (sometimes literally, like the Cubans crossing the water and Mexicans crossing the desert) to get your butts over here. |
| Posted by: Swamp Blondie 2006-09-12 23:09 |
| #17 Then level her 18" guns at the UN Assembly Building, and open fire. Sorry to pick nits, but the New Jersey's have 16-inch guns, not 18-inch (the Japanese Yamato had 18-inch guns). Note that, however, according to experts, there's not a whole lot of difference between an American 16-inch shell and a Japanese 18-inch shell of the WW2 era. While the 16-inch shells fired by the New Jersey's would be quite adequate (though likely overkill as it's doubtful if the shells would even explode before penetrating clean through the UN building) in destroying the UN, the 5-inch secondary battery would probably be more effectively deployed in the shore bombardment role against non-fortified targets. At one point in time the USN considered rocket-assisted shells for the New Jersey classes 16-inch guns in order to extend their range though, in an era of cruise missile the concept didn;t bear much fruit. |
| Posted by: FOTSGreg 2006-09-12 22:58 |
| #16 GW: Hello Kofi Kofi: Hello Mr President. I wanted to talk to you about giving us more money for ... GW: Kofi, I'm just calling to let you know that the US is terminating it's membership in the UN. Kofi: What! You can't possibly be ... GW: Oh, and one more thing. You and your staff have 24 hours to pack up and get out. I've got Trump on the other line and he's got a demolition crew ready for tomorrow. Building another 'Trump' something or other. Kofi: This is an outrage ... GW: Good talking to you Kofi. Have a nice day. ... click ... |
| Posted by: DMFD 2006-09-12 22:54 |
| #15 I remember a discussion like this in a now-defunct European chat room - American opinion, we're friends, why do we have to ask for help where their's was why didn't you ask for help???? |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2006-09-12 21:44 |
| #14 Europe was looking for the US to immediately come on bended knee, sobbing "we were wrong", asking advice from its betters, and offering its military and assets to the UN in a 'cooperative effort'. When it didn't happen ("thanks, but we in America have work to do"), the Europeans were hurt. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2006-09-12 21:39 |
| #13 You're right: just drop anchor and commence firing. Besides, it'll add to the excitement... |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2006-09-12 19:56 |
| #12 Give the Gang of Thieves one hour to vacate. Why give notice? These are some of the principal terror promoters in the entire world. I realize that you're trying to adhere to international law and all that, but just this once we need to make an exception. We're talking eviction, Medieval style. the Two Keys of Justice. And that's another keeper for today. I'll trade their plastic "Key to Paradise" for our "Two Keys of Justice" anytime. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-09-12 19:46 |
| #11 Yup. Not ten miles from me, the USS New Jersey lies at anchor in the Delaware, a floating WWII museum on the Camden waterfront. I've got something FAR more honorable for her to do: shell the UN. Top off her fuel bunkers, lube up her engines, load up her magazines with powder and one-ton shells and get 'er underway. I can visualize it, this fine, old battlewagon on her last mission: down the Delaware and around Cape May Point, then slowly and majestically up the Jersey coast, firing salvoes to thrill the kiddies from Wildwood up through Avalon, Sea Isle City, Atlantic City, Manasquan, Long Branch and Sandy Hook. Into New York Bay and up the East River, to finally drop anchor off 41st Street at the Queens Midtown Tunnel. Give the Gang of Thieves one hour to vacate. Then level her 18" guns at the UN Assembly Building, and open fire. And don't stop till the ammunition runs out. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2006-09-12 19:38 |
| #10 I posted before yours came up, Dave D., and you are absolutely right. In fact, I saw something today about a recent survey which revealed that now about 75% of Americans think the UN is useless and our money shouldn't be squandered supporting it. A big change from my childhood, when we all went out every Halloween trick-or-treating for UNICEF. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-09-12 19:19 |
| #9 You pegged it, Besoeker. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-09-12 19:15 |
| #8 Anyone who thinks we "squandered" any "good will" forgets the United Nations Conference on Racism and Xenophobia in Durban, South Africa that concluded only 3 days before the 9/11 attacks-- a weeklong hatefest directed by Kofi Annan, with third-world shitholes spewing their venom at Israel and the United States. No, we certainly didn't squander any of the world's "good will"; but they sure as Hell have squandered ours. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2006-09-12 19:15 |
| #7 "the world's goodwill" never existed. I was looking all over the internet on 9/11/2001 and found many examples of ill will. A French writer recalls: For example, I remember September 11, 2001. I had my mother on the telephone, and she asked me “Why, son, why did this happen?! …” with all the anguish in the world in her voice, and suddenly she started to cry uncontrollably when she saw a man and a woman jumping out of one of the burning towers hand in hand on television. This account was recently published, but reactions like the one described were very easy to find on the original 9/11. |
| Posted by: Ulelet Uniting8249 2006-09-12 19:09 |
| #6 I disagree about the victim status deal. For about 2 weeks there was in the World Mindset the possibility that the Cowboys might bring out the Two Keys of Justice. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-09-12 18:47 |
| #5 What I don't understand is that on one hand folks can say the world hates us, and then on the other dismiss the idea that folks will cross shark infested waters in a raft, or cross barren desert to get to the USA. Look which way the people are going and you'll see which nations the world hates. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2006-09-12 18:17 |
| #4 "made it enemies of every sort across the globe"....... I hate you America, yes, yes, I hate you, I hate you. Pack Asiya my wife, make haste, pack, pack, pack. Our 7-11 store awaits us. YOU have the midnight shift, we must hurry. I hate you America, I hate you. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-09-12 17:43 |
| #3 Word, gromky. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-09-12 17:42 |
| #2 Yeah...it's not like we "squandered" any sort of goodwill. These people already hated us. They were just temporarily stunned into accepting us after 9/11, because for once, the USA had "victim" status. As soon as we struck back at our enemies, the Taliban and Hezbollah became the victims, and the socialists were free to curse the USA once again, guilt-free. |
| Posted by: gromky 2006-09-12 17:35 |
| #1 No other nation has a veto over America's national security. End of discussion. |
| Posted by: Gloluns Thosing2830 2006-09-12 16:14 |