I'm just saying people hate for reasons, and yes - those reasons are not always justifiable.
And how does that help us???
Also, how do we know if when you give a Terrorist an inch, he will take a foot? It doesn't hurt to try, no? Bin Laden didn't strike first. The first strike was the abandonment of him and his army and his people after they fought for the US.
It has been general policy to NEVER deal with terrorists. Once you give in to their methods, you open the theater for more terrorists, as it will be viewed that terrorist actions obtain returns.
I didn't say that hate cannot be dissolved through actions, but violence usually begets more violence. Usually hate is dissolved with love.
Love thy Bin Laden. That's a new concept. I really don't think the Americans hate Bin Laden and Saddam NEARLY as much as they hate us. I do agree that the end of hatred begins with oneself.
I'm not telling America to stop hating - if you read the post correctly, you will see I said America SHOULD NOT be hated around the world.
Why are you telling us that the world should stop hating us? You're preaching to the choir. I think you will find most Americans really are indifferent to the rest of the world. Notice I said indifferent and not superior.
I'm not painting a picture of America as the lone bad-guy, that would be wrong, but America is on trial here due to it's decision to attack Iraq...
That's right. We are on trial, and when we see images of Canadians, French, and other allies trashing us, what do you expect us to think. I tend to have an open mind, and I know there will always be extremists. Those extremists garner the attention of the media and those images are thrust upon our minds.
As for Foreign Policy - I have no problem with it - as long as it is fair across the line. I don't think America should have troops anywhere but on American soil, but there are cases that do need attention - problem is, nobody asked America to be the World's Police. And how come when North Korea threatens the US with their weapons, the US listens?
But you see this is where it gets hazy. Each person has an ideal perception of US foreign policy. No matter what is done, somebody will not be happy. I don't feel US foreign policy is perfect. Never was. Never will be. Foreign policy is not guided by right vs. wrong choices. It is influenced by economic, political, and covert (as opposed to overt and not military) forces. This is purely evident by the UN. It is very difficult to get any sort of consensus, because each country has special interests.
1. Why is America in the Middle East anyway?
2. If Canada tried to occupy Kuwait, would America intervene and why?
1 Oil, power, international interests, domestic security.
2 Canada couldn't fight their way through a paper mache fence.
I have no idea what America would do. I guess I could flip the question and ask "If Russia tried to occupy Canada, would America intervene and why?" I think we know the answer to that question. I think you are really downplaying the will of the international community. In this day, forced occupation is not well received by the world community. We have a hard time convincing the world that invading Iraq is justified. Do you really think Canadian invasion of Kuwait (as laughable as it sounds) really has a chance in heck of happening? Heck no, and it doesn't matter what country tries to invade Kuwait. We won't let it happen.
jurgen