COMMENTS:
If the US mishandles international issues right now, it could find itself involved in a very serious war. Imagine Iran, Syria, and Jordan joining forces, with uprisings in Afghanistan and Iraq, Egypt and Saudi Arabia staying neutral, and the Europeans refusing to help.
I like International House of Pancakes, & they issue some really great breakfasts, so I'm going to go with International Issues.
America needs to focus on international affairs, sadly there are many domestic problems however they have to be put on the back burner so we can handle the mess were in right now.
Get the fuck out of international affairs.
The rest of the world seems to want the USA to stop meddling in their affairs and that's just fine with me. We have to get our own house in order first.
I think it's important to see that the US cannot act alone to fix international issues. For one, it necessarily doesn't have to. It can force its way, but this isn't the greater good in the long run for the whole world.
I love these two quotes about American policy from a global view. The second is a wakeup call to Europe on what it needs to do.
"America's power is unrivalled. It has no military, economic, or political competitors. As the biggest billiard ball on the table, it can force all others to move in its direction. In world politics, power rules and absolute power rules absolutely. This is the Bush world view, and it has a lot going for it. America can achieve much of what it wants because of its sheer dominance in world affairs. Power is unimportant only to those who do not have it.
But there are costs in using power arrogantly. It breeds resentment. It gives others reasons to coalesce in a balance against America. And it provides the weak incentives to expose America's vulnerabilities, which, for all its power, are still aplenty. Power is best used wisely, in ways that does the greatest good for the most. That is what America did in the 1940s, and what it must do now when its power is essentially unchallenged".
- Ivo Daalder, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
"The implications of a unipolar world are bad for everyone concerned. If America stands aloof from global problems, it is accused of isolationism. If it intervenes, it is accused of imperialism. Either way, it becomes a target of resentment and violence. For the rest it means frustration and impotence.
Complaining won't do any good. The rest of us have to raise our game and provide America with partners they can't ignore. For Britain, that means building a more united Europe with a more coherent foreign policy and a strong single currency. It's either that or another American century."
- David Clark, former special adviser to Robin Cook at the Foreign Office
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