Quote:
Originally posted by KeyGuy@Nov 2 2004, 06:00 PM
I just got back from France and Italy. I would say that Europeans are afraid of Bush and do not hate the United States. Just my impression talking to a lot of Europeans. Hopefully Kerry will mend fences. The doors will certainly be open to a new administration and I think they will probably make it their first order of business.
|
That may very well be. However the reasons why people say things about their political beliefs and the reality are often quite different. I believe that people subconciously form their opinions of the world based largely upon a sort of balance of power. Human nature drives history. Tip of the hat to Thucydides on that one.
When the Soviets and the US were the two world superpowers people in countries tended to support one and fear the other. Remove the Soviets from the equation and
add Iraq as a catalyst and now people fear the US. Would that have happened with or without Bush? I have a hunch that it would happen no matter what based upon the past history of such things.
There were plenty of articles in the 1990s, as an example, outlining an increase in anti-Americanism abroad which as we know exploded under the Bush/Iraq catalyst.