tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19364700.post8564274398408195231..comments2023-07-26T04:54:13.903-07:00Comments on Robin's Readings and Reflections: Foreign PolicyTerrell Clemmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17367926808246409525noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19364700.post-37107310848015037322010-04-16T07:00:25.275-07:002010-04-16T07:00:25.275-07:00He could also read Charmers Johnson, a historian w...He could also read Charmers Johnson, a historian who identifies with the right, unlike the three I listed above, but who has concluded that the American empire is anything but benevolant. In Johnson´s book Blowback he shows that all the terrorist events of the past years are a result of American foreign policy, both the result of unpopular actions and as a result of selling arms to people, like Sudame Husain who then rise up. Born Conservative´s support for Isreal might be lessened by reading the writing of Robert Fisk, who was one of the only reporters during their recent war with Lebenon who actually wrote about the bombing of Beyruit.<br /><br />And then we have The Project For The New American Century, written by many members of the Bush administration cabinet---who openly state in their documents that they want to put missiles in space and metal telephone poles (rods from God, they call them) to create instant havoc and meteor events on anyone who would even economically counter the new American century. They even openly stated one year before 9/11 that they were going to need a terrorist event in order to push through otherwise unpopular wars.<br /><br />All this is to say that if Born Conservative really is conversative like he claims, he should try to work towards embracing a vision of smaller autonomous regional economies, not an American one forced on the world at the point of a gun.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06150732690127810856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19364700.post-16922098388458210412010-04-15T11:39:49.549-07:002010-04-15T11:39:49.549-07:00your friend Born Conservative still see´s the empi...your friend Born Conservative still see´s the empire as beneavolant, I think this is a wrong starting point and is informing his commentary in a wrong direction. I recommend the works of William Blum, Ward Churchill and Noam Chomsky. <br /><br />In fact, declasified policy documents show very clearly that American State Department planners view their actions as self-interested but want to sell the foreign interventions as humanitarian to a credulous public.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06150732690127810856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19364700.post-82418226099692169102010-04-06T06:55:23.315-07:002010-04-06T06:55:23.315-07:00When you've gone wrong for too long, getting b...When you've gone wrong for too long, getting back on the right course is something that has to be gradual and done with a lot of wisdom. I am not in favour of sudden revolutionary solutions. I am against the welfare state, but now that so many people have become dependent on it, it would be wrong to suddenly pull the plug. The war in Iraq maybe should never have started, but suddenly pulling out now would be irresponsible. Same with America's empire. So how do we get back to the founder's vision after going so far down this road? I don't know. But recognizing the problem is a start.<br /><br />Thanks Mike for the good discussion.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09254115748657338424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19364700.post-4395939743432394782010-04-05T23:10:31.728-07:002010-04-05T23:10:31.728-07:00Thanks for taking the time to do such a detailed r...Thanks for taking the time to do such a detailed response and to remember to let me know about it. You make some good points and I agree with a lot you wrote. Though it might not have sounded like it, I agree that the US should not be the world's policeman. I agree that there is no way that we can make or keep peace around the world.<br /><br />At this point, though, how do we get back to "minding our own business"? We do not produce our own energy. We have stopped being a producer nation and rely on imports. We live in a world where there are many who would love to dominate the areas as fast as we pull out.<br /><br />I would love to get back to the founding father's view of America. I just wonder if that is possible on a worldwide scale? And, I can imagine your thought, we do not control the rest of the world, we should only be controlling ourselves. I agree, can we get back there on only our scale? We are rushing in the opposite direction.Born Conservativehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03829539198253205453noreply@blogger.com