Whenever I had to read about international politics I end up reading about all the shitty things the US has done to Central America. It makes me want to cry. I just can't believe most of it. Not only did they fund the most obscene violence and oppression, but whenever any country looked like having any chance of success, it would kick it in the teeth. As far as I'm concerned Nicaragua is damn effective proof that socialist works. It was so incredibly successful that it required vast US resources over a decade to topple it. I end up coming to the same conclusion every time I find new information, but I forget because we always act as though everything is normal with the US.
How can we continue to talk to the United States as though it deserves anything but contempt? I guess because our country deserves it as well.
I want to go to countries like Zimbabwe and Iran. Just to find out what's going on. I feel like I have no reason to believe anything the media says about countries with socialist tendencies.
I'm curious about the Contras too. The Sandanistas must have done some messed up stuff as well to convince so many of their former supporters to rebel.
In a way I agree with you about the States. In another I don’t. I think the U.S. does and has done some very bad things. But I still think it’s better than most countries. Maybe that’s easy for me to say since my country hasn’t been terribly treated by it or anything. But I find that nonetheless one thing the US undeniably has is IDEAS. Ideas are everywhere. All sorts of ideas, and whether the gvt agrees or not, people are allowed to express their ideas without being killed or tortured. It’s extremely flawed but there is freedom of expression.
Elise / 8:47am / 12 April 2006
People who live in the United States are allowed to express ideas without being killed and tortured. But the United States isn’t so happy for people to express themselves in other countries.
I agree with you to the extent that I’d rather have the US in charge of things than most countries. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be doing an terrible job of it anyway.
Not sure about ideas. Definitely there have been great thinkers there. But for a country with that much wealth to be so messed up, there must be a lot of very bad ideas floating around as well. And I reckon its foreign policy ideas have been universally bad. For the last 50 years at least. I don’t know whose idea it was to destroy a peaceful, democratic Nicaragua, but someone should punch them in the head.
Ryan / 4:14pm / 12 April 2006