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Good question Stack 24,...perhaps we should be more like France with the ideology of isolationalism...I don't know.

It seems it works at times to intervere to do global good with spreading rights...other times it isn't...But there examples where a faulty regime fails on it's own...There are times to consider a dictatorship works...Actually the people decide. Specific example I can personally attribute to is the revolution in 1978-79 in Nicaragua...the "sandanista" regime didn't last but 20 years, but I can assure you the overturn was very scary for my mother's family...My grandfather was a top officer of Samosa and bodyguard, and my mother had other relatives such as his minister of defense (forgot his name)...Now my family was on the right side of the line of the dictator, because I heard of stories Samosa would do to opponents, but the gore of revolution was tremendous...over 60,000 dead in only a couple months of revolution...My grandfather bravely died during this time, and before the family fled to the U.S. embassy in Gautemala, it was reported they desecrated my grandfather's grave and ransacked the house to try to kill off extended family members. They killed my mom's half-brother in brutal fashion hacking him in pieces.(My Mom was here in the states morning my grandfather's passing, while trying to assure political asylum,...thanks to Reagan - a difficult time.)

I wanted to add this personal story because I can feel the pain you have from "another country" mindset you are going through, and the implication of "interference" can be a double edged sword... BTW, the extended family all now here still refuse to go back for fear of retaliation somehow...

 

D&D in 3....... 2........

 

Not to be rude and I understand where you're coming from, but Iran isn't your government even though you speak as if it is. You're an American.

I have both Welsh and Mexican family, but it doesn't mean I give two ****s about either one of those places. I'm an American and that's all that matters to me.

I think that hyphenated Americanism is one of the things that's wrong with this country.

And I certainly won't let Mexico off the hook for the way the government there basically pushes the poorest of their poor over to the U.S so that they won't have to deal with them. Mexican illegals are flagrantly breaking our laws just by being here and screwing up this country in so many different ways, and politically correct liberal Americans are allowing it to happen. They have no interest in assimilating to American culture, only in forcing American culture to change to suit them.

But to get back to your subject, the U.S takes the lead in promoting political change and ensuring world order, because it has to. Who the hell else is going to do it? Maybe we should just turn our backs on these goofball regimes until a third world war breaks out? Then instead of tens of thousands dying, there can be millions dying. Would that be better?

And, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a freaking nutcase. He is the reason that the anti-Iran rhetoric has increased.

Iran was heading down the right direction with Mohammad Khatami. But with that crazy fool Ahmadinejad in office now, I wouldn't be suprised if it leads to war.

 

politically correct liberal americans are allowing it to happen? thats hilarious.

who controls all 3 branches of government right now?

you must think bush is the biggest p.c. liberal of all b/c he is the one who is advocating a guest worker/amnesty program for illegals.

"they took our jobs"

on the thread though, i think the u.s. was founded on principles of non-interference. if you want to call that isolationism than fine, but i dont see it that way. isolationists would be like japan pre mid 19th century, where they had no contact w/ other nations. non-interference, however, i would sum up as not meddling in others affairs and avoiding conflict unless you were attacked first.

i would say to answer your question that the u.s. took on the role of "world police" in the years after WWII. there were instances before of u.s. getting involved in other countries affairs, such as cuba (spanish-american war) and the phillipines, but i think post WWII is where the u.s. really became a global power and more actively exerted itself in other counties affairs. i think the fight against communism and desire to contain it was the impetus in the u.s. getting involved across the globe.

 

Thanks for responding Stack24.

I think the Iranian community here in the U.S is great. Most of them came here after the Ayatollah took over in Iran in order to escape that breed of religious fanatacism. I have absolutely no problems with the Iranian people here at all. They have been a wonderful asset to this country.

I think the Iranian people in Iran are good people. It just seems that the religious fanatics and the government over there are leading them to ruin. I'm not sure that the U.S going into Iran is a good move either, but if nothing happens the govt there might get bolder and bolder and start threatening other countries.

 

You can't possibly be that ignorant can you?

The republican congress is trying to improve our immigration mess at this very moment yet who do you think is out in the streets protesting and shouting? Hint, it's not the conservatives.

Who are the people that are whining and b****ing every time the government tries to do anything to stop this illegal immigrant cultural onslaught??
Hint, it's not the conservatives.

Bush has it right on several fronts such as security, judges, and the economy. He is dead wrong on some on some issues as well such as immigration. That certainly doesn't mean the liberals are right. Bush is just a little less wrong in some ways than they are.

With the ever increasing size and influence of the illegal population, it's getting harder and harder for politicians to take any steps to curb our immigration nightmare, because they risk pissing off the hispanic vote.

White American liberals are like blind lemmings in many ways where this is concerned. Hell, i'm half hispanic and even I see what's going on. Does that make me an uncle tom? No, it makes me an American with his eyes open.

Stack24, sorry to sidetrack your thread with this. I won't respond again on the immigration issue.

 

Why did America start the Iraq war?

1. GWB wanted revenge for his daddy.
2. Iraq is oil rich and the Bush family and friends stand to make huge profits.
3. GWB built a reputation as being tough on terror so successfully "renovating" Iraq would be his lasting legacy (...and boy is it!).

But in fairness, anytime a natural disaster occurs anywhere in the world, the world automatically looks to the U.S. for huge contributions. For example, when the Tsnami hit, GWB only pleged something like 30 mil and he took a bunch of crap cause other countries were giving much more than that. Why is it expected that the US has to be one of (if not THE) largest donors in time of need.

So Stack, in some sense it is a double standard.

All that being said, the US military has a LONG history of getting involved in world events and we got to do something big every 10 years or so. We have such a large military precense, that it is a self-fulfilling prophacy that we somehow find our way into other people's business.

Of the 21 notable military events I could find, only 3 attacks initiated on US soil (one being the Civil War) since 1846.

1846: Mexican War - US fights Mexico over Texas.
1861: American Civil War
1898: Spanish-Ameircan War - US waged war against Spain over Cuba
1933: Invasion of Nicaragua - US previously invaded to protect US interests. Didn't actually leave until 1933
1914-18: Invasion of Mexico - America sends marines to Mexico to invade the city of Vera Cruz and Santo Domingo.
1914-18: WWI
1935: Haiti - America invaded Haiti 5 times and in 1935 finally left the last time allowing Haiti to develop inidpendantly.
1941: WWII
1950: Korean War
1958: Lebanon - America sends 14,000 troops to quash an anti-western/muslim uprising
1961: Bay of Pigs disaster in Cuba and the cold war is firmly entrenched
1964-73: Vietnam escalates
1983: Nicaragua - CIA mines harbors in support of a contra guerrillas in their war against the government. US found guilty in world court due to illegal intervention.
1983: US Invades Grenada
1986: US bombs Libya
1987: US begins escorting Kuwaiti oil tankers through Persion Gulf
1989: Panama Invasion
1991: Gulf War #1
1995: Bosnia
2001: Afghanastan
2003: Gulf War #2

 

I think for many Americans WWII is an example of why isolationism doesn't work. You can feel safe by retreating inside your borders but it doesn't protect you from anything. Plus, with the current and future global economy, it's almost impossible to be isolationist.

I think if it were at all possible, America would be isolationist. Americans tire of aiding other countries only to have those same countries crap all over us later. That's why so many Americans have a disdain for the French. Like I stated earlier, most Americans want to be isolationist but it just doesn't seem possible.

With regards to Iran, there is a good reason most Americans are scared of Iran. The current president has said he wishes to wipe Israel off the map and has stated in the past that he feels it's his destiny to bring about the end of the world. If this guy having nuclear weapons doesn't scare people I don't know what will.

 

How about the Kuwaitis in 1991 or the Iraqis in 2003 who did greet us as liberators (oh boy, here it comes...)

 

America gets the flak because when it chooses sides, the other side has to face a 600 ton gorilla. Israel wouldn't exist if the US didn't support the UN resolution. Taiwan would be an afterthought instead of the semiconductor powerhouse it is today.

Before, Russia was sitting on the other end of the seesaw. Now there's only the US to fear.

I think the original post WW2 strategy of global interference for open markets/free trade has been irreparably corrupted by Cold War policies and the influence of an industry fed by a $250 billion/year (in real money) defense budget.

For all we know, it originally started in good faith, but somewhere down the line, it's just been kept for the sake of moving.

You should check out this article by BusinessWeek.
WallStreet says immigrants are good.

As for your own racial history, if you pass off as white looking, then you're halfway to assimilating into American culture....

 

You know what's a shame is that Iran was once on a nice path to moderation as little as 4 years ago. Then somebody had to go and call them part of an "Axis of Evil" which was just the kind of rallying point the hardliners needed to steer the country back to it's current path.

 

It's a protester conspiracy!!!

You're funny.

 

...C'mon. This has been the inception for the whacked out leader to proclaim they want to wipe Israel off the map?...Iran was on the right path with a sane leader...The mindset was there with this guy. I dare say Iran, Iraq, and North Korea has the 3 most whacked out leaders at the time, and evil is apparent if all 3 were and are transfixed on destruction...You had the leader of Iraq who invaded another country in the first place, killed his own residents with gas, torture, rape, murder, etc, publicly cheerleading, financing terror....Without intervention, would have continued to explore weapon development and usage.... In North Korea, you have a peculiar person fond of westerns, sadomachistic p*rn, and spending 91.8023% of capital on military spenditure who is a Korean war expert transfixed on a fight...In Iran, you have someone, who many who follow nostradamus to be the nexxus of the new age anti-christ publicly stating his goal is to assure the complete and utter destruction of Israel...

It's evil...Bush is guilty of saying so publicly, but the is what it is...is true.