Many times I've been asked what people in other countries think of the United States and I have always struggled with how to really answer that question without having an hour long conversation. Last night on Bill Maher show NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman answered that question in the most eloquent way that I have heard so far:
3 comments:
You are right, Friedman's answer is very short, yet concise. That's how a lot of people i know from overseas looking at America - a place of optimism, and of promises. What is happening here is the root of the Domino effects. A lot of countries still depend a lot on America and its actions.
This is a very interesting point Thomas Friedman makes. I would agree that people from around the world have seen the US as a place of optimism and hopefully this can be restored.
I agree with Friedman but I also think a lot has to be learned from the mistakes we made as a hegemonic power before we start trying to re assume our role as a beacon of hope. It was unwavering and frankly unwarranted confidence in ourselves that led to such catastrophes as overlooking Al Qaeda as a legitimate threat and not regulating our financial sector. I agree that something has been taken from America, and I hope that once again we are seen as a ray of hope by people around the world. However we can not have the hubris to believe we were ever loved by everyone, and one task facing the next president is seriously looking at our economic and political policies and considering why they have bred so much resentment, not just since the Bush Administration but long before that, and questioning/ reforming these policies.
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