Bush's Shrinking Safety Zone

[yesman065]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Even if Iraq becomes our bestest buddy, this war will cause hate toward the US with their neighbors and throughout the muslim world.

That dam busted years ago - long before 9/11/2001 - I would guess. Then again the way the conflict has gone and reported certainly didn't help.

[tw]

Originally Posted by yesman065

That dam busted years ago - long before 9/11/2001 - I would guess.

Quite the other way around. Respect and admiration for the US by 2000 was probably at an all time high. World wide, American approval ratings were abut 70%. This was especially true in the Middle East when America was supporting the Oslo Accords. Even Syria was secretly a strong US ally. Libya was actively courting a new and friendly relationship with the US. The Dayton Accords set another foundation of repect for how the US ends massacres and overt military conflicts - doing so to protect a mostly Muslim population. Kuwait even renamed a major street after George Sr. Sudan had even changed enough to drive bin Laden out of their country (although by that time, Sudan had all but soaked bin Laden for most of bin Laden's financial net worth).

One of America's strongest allies in the entire world was Turkey.

What has changed since 11 September - when the entire world could not be more closely allied with the US? Well even Turkey has some of the lowest American approval ratings compared to the world. We have even destroyed that relationship with one of our closest allies - Turkey. Even Israel has become concerned. American fubars are so massive that Hamas and Hezbollah have both become popular and stronger. American stupidity even for demanding Palestinian elections was obvioius to all in the region. But America even forced that stupid demand. Pakistan is sitting on a pin head - could easily go either way in a very short time - with just one successful assassination attempt.

This idea that Americans were unpopular among Muslim nations is simply bogus propaganda promoted Limbaugh and other radicals. As that group of 50 ambassadors and generals stated in an open letter so many years ago, George Jr has mostly destroyed relationships with nations that took them 50 years to build.

Richard Holbrook and Charlie Rose discussed this recently. Normally presidents start in office with a domestic agenda. Only years later do they take up international agendas. But the next president will have some of the most challenging international relation problems this nation has ever seen. Two wars; both going badly. First time in history, an international trade conference has failed with blame at America and France. Even American relationships with Mexico and Canada are at all time lows. America was once a nation to respect, to set world agendas, to lead the world in solving new problems, and (if an enemy) to fear. Even American enemies have so less to fear. Could America execute another Dayton Accords or create a bloodless coup in Haiti today? Doubtful. American diplomacy is completely paralyzed by political agenda such as American demands to terminate family planning programs in other nations. American military might is so bogged down as to be a diminished threat even to enemies. We don't even have a Rapid Reaction force - once considered absolutely essential to American security. Even that is bogged down in "Mission Accomplished".

Welcome to the new world order - one the father was not expecting and that the son created. One in which even the Oslo Accords were undermined by America after 2000.