Thursday, May 20, 2004
Asia and US
You really should read this article on the paradox between the US's strong ties with many Asian governments while their masses are telling their leaders to cut us loose. The article highlights something I've been concerned with for awhile -- the rise of popular anti-American candidates throughout the world which will be extremely adverse to our policies, our interests, and our place in the world of nations. It's only a matter of time before the people's voices are echoed more strongly in their governments and, as you know, it takes a lot longer to build up trust than it does to break it.
They said it:
"In fact I would say that anti-American sentiment is growing at a disturbing rate and has never been that bad as it has become today," former senior South Korean diplomat Kim Kyong-won told the conference in Washington.
"For the first time in 50 years, relations between the US and all the countries in the region, notably India and Pakistan, have been good and yet, paradoxically, the US has never been more unpopular than it is today," said Farooq Sobhan, a retired senior diplomat from Bangladesh.
The other disturbing trend is the neocons shrillness concerning these types of warnings -- oftentimes it the standard, "fuck 'em we don't need them" line; instead of more people saying it, the neocons are screaming it louder and more emphatically and we know from history that small, passionate groups with an inclination towards hate and fear can change the course of nations. Let's hope that more reasoned voices can be heard.
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They said it:
"In fact I would say that anti-American sentiment is growing at a disturbing rate and has never been that bad as it has become today," former senior South Korean diplomat Kim Kyong-won told the conference in Washington.
"For the first time in 50 years, relations between the US and all the countries in the region, notably India and Pakistan, have been good and yet, paradoxically, the US has never been more unpopular than it is today," said Farooq Sobhan, a retired senior diplomat from Bangladesh.
The other disturbing trend is the neocons shrillness concerning these types of warnings -- oftentimes it the standard, "fuck 'em we don't need them" line; instead of more people saying it, the neocons are screaming it louder and more emphatically and we know from history that small, passionate groups with an inclination towards hate and fear can change the course of nations. Let's hope that more reasoned voices can be heard.
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