Posted by homunculus at 12:20 AM on January 18th 2009
2 comments submitted.
Diplomacy is always a good place to start, and recently (about 8 years) the US has not been in the news for its diplomacy. Hopefully all this will shortly change. Europeans have always been able to accept "gray" areas, something that the US has always had problems with. Also the US has always wanted / insisted on calling the shots; maybe finally the country will learn to listen a bit to some of her allies who may have better insight.
Anyway some dialogue will be better than no dialogue.
Comparing and contrasting European and U.S. views and ways of working is good. Europe has a vastly different history, with many of the countries have been fought and lost wars in their homelands, seen their populations and economies devastated.
America has been force feeding itself a steady diet of "We are the world's savior, worship us" tripe while not having to face the gruesome leftovers of World Wars fought on its soil. The infantile response to 9/11 (OMG, somebody actually dared to attack us!) and temper tantrum response (either you're with us or again as we remake the Arab world into one we like) has left us in a corner of our own making.
So, yeah, maybe now we act like citizens of the world instead of it's presumed ruler and talk to other countries like a reasonable adult.
Anyway some dialogue will be better than no dialogue.
America has been force feeding itself a steady diet of "We are the world's savior, worship us" tripe while not having to face the gruesome leftovers of World Wars fought on its soil. The infantile response to 9/11 (OMG, somebody actually dared to attack us!) and temper tantrum response (either you're with us or again as we remake the Arab world into one we like) has left us in a corner of our own making.
So, yeah, maybe now we act like citizens of the world instead of it's presumed ruler and talk to other countries like a reasonable adult.