Well, due to the scarcity of good news these days I've decided that tonight I will go on an Editorial rant of sorts. Tonight's topic will be Ameican Influence: The Death of Nationalism.
Over the past century America has developed from a small group of states bound together in a union to an influnece on the world stage. Over the past several years American Influense has grown-and grown and grown, to the point where Americans are interfering in the affairs of her allies and even the coutries that American's do bussiness in. After the end of the of the Second World War, American influnese grew on a scale that has not been seen sense the British Empire in the late 17th to late 18th centuries. During that time period, the Americans came to use the newly formed CIA to influense the internal affairs of countries that where seen as vital to the security of the United States and it's allies. For example, in 1953 the then occupied Iran decided to nationalize the Anglo-Iranian oil company. Great Britain who had controlled the company for almost 60 years, earning large royalties for oil from the large reserves within Iran. With the nationalization of the oil company, Great Britain decided to try and beg back what they had lost. They launched an operation codenamed AJAX. But the British where hesitant to launch the operation with the approval of they're American allies. Now wait a minute-Wasn't it usally the other way around? The Americans would ask for British backing in an operation? Why would the British be asking for American backing. It's simple really. After the End of World War II, Britain was deeply in debt and licking it's wounds. However America was prospering with a booming ecomomy and a monopoly on the atomic bomb America's influense grew and with the formation of NATO it grew to such an extent that almost all of the developed countries where under American influence. In the end the situation was resolved. If you can call toppling the deomcratic goverment and replacing it with a bunch of aristocrat's resolution.
And even when countries didn't agree with the US the Americans have tried to get thier way. They've fixed elections, assassinated leaders who don't agree with them amoung other things. Take the (failed) Bay of Pigs invasion in 1963. Just because Cuba had a goverment that did not agree with American views, the US decided to send a bunch of Cuban exiles to invade it. The exiles where trained and equipped by the CIA. Other examples include the invasions of Grenada and Haiti. The Americans have also backed the regimes of the likes of Saddam, Augesto Pinochet and even Osama bin Laden. Why? Simple, it was better than the alternative. What was the alternative? Communist Russia (then known as the USSR) was the only alternative. What the United States saw as a threat was really on the natural process of revolution. If the Americans forget, they came from a revolution of monarchy vs democracy. If they fail to remember they wanted "Life, Liberty and Justice". The only difference between the revolution of 1776 and the revolutions of the latter part of the 20th century, is that the other countries are forming a goverment that has different views on different issues (socialism as opposed to capitalism) doesn't give another country the right to pick on it and influence it's internal affairs.
This brings me to my point: I am sick and tired of Americans inflenceing the internal affairs of my country. US policy has, for far to long, shaped the politics of this country. And if we don't agree with the US on a certain issue, the shut us out until they get their own way. Take the Vietnam War for example. Canada refused to actively participate and sheltered draft dogers when the came to Canada seeking refugee status. At the very start of the war President Lyndon B. Johnson was infuriated that Canada refused to participate. During a state visit to Canada Johnson (who was a large beefy texan) was so mad that he literrally took Prime Minister (Lester B.) Pearson by the scruff of the neck and and shook him, screaming at him about not helping America in the fight against communism. Hello? It's our right to refuse to participate in a conflict that we deem not to be morally in line with what we see fit. It's not your decesion to drag us into the war. Likewise with the Iraq conflict. If you're feeling that Saddam needs to be brought to justice, then fine by all means do so, however we as a nation reserve the right to make an independent and unbiased judgement to stay out of said conflict. It's that simple. We will not be bribed or bullied by the American goverment into anything as a nation that we see unfit. End of discussion.
In conclusion I would like to say that I believe that America needs to simmer down and stop pushing people around. That's why you have War on Terror, the Iraq conflict, rising oil prices, Venezuela being ticked off at you (amoung other countries.) and hordes of angry muslims denouncing you left and right. If you didn't push people around they'll be happy and you wouldn't have had 9/11 either.
Sorry this entry is a bit late, but I really havn't been feeling up to it these days. The number of entries could drop from now on, because of the fact I now have a job.
Nathaniel
Over the past century America has developed from a small group of states bound together in a union to an influnece on the world stage. Over the past several years American Influense has grown-and grown and grown, to the point where Americans are interfering in the affairs of her allies and even the coutries that American's do bussiness in. After the end of the of the Second World War, American influnese grew on a scale that has not been seen sense the British Empire in the late 17th to late 18th centuries. During that time period, the Americans came to use the newly formed CIA to influense the internal affairs of countries that where seen as vital to the security of the United States and it's allies. For example, in 1953 the then occupied Iran decided to nationalize the Anglo-Iranian oil company. Great Britain who had controlled the company for almost 60 years, earning large royalties for oil from the large reserves within Iran. With the nationalization of the oil company, Great Britain decided to try and beg back what they had lost. They launched an operation codenamed AJAX. But the British where hesitant to launch the operation with the approval of they're American allies. Now wait a minute-Wasn't it usally the other way around? The Americans would ask for British backing in an operation? Why would the British be asking for American backing. It's simple really. After the End of World War II, Britain was deeply in debt and licking it's wounds. However America was prospering with a booming ecomomy and a monopoly on the atomic bomb America's influense grew and with the formation of NATO it grew to such an extent that almost all of the developed countries where under American influence. In the end the situation was resolved. If you can call toppling the deomcratic goverment and replacing it with a bunch of aristocrat's resolution.
And even when countries didn't agree with the US the Americans have tried to get thier way. They've fixed elections, assassinated leaders who don't agree with them amoung other things. Take the (failed) Bay of Pigs invasion in 1963. Just because Cuba had a goverment that did not agree with American views, the US decided to send a bunch of Cuban exiles to invade it. The exiles where trained and equipped by the CIA. Other examples include the invasions of Grenada and Haiti. The Americans have also backed the regimes of the likes of Saddam, Augesto Pinochet and even Osama bin Laden. Why? Simple, it was better than the alternative. What was the alternative? Communist Russia (then known as the USSR) was the only alternative. What the United States saw as a threat was really on the natural process of revolution. If the Americans forget, they came from a revolution of monarchy vs democracy. If they fail to remember they wanted "Life, Liberty and Justice". The only difference between the revolution of 1776 and the revolutions of the latter part of the 20th century, is that the other countries are forming a goverment that has different views on different issues (socialism as opposed to capitalism) doesn't give another country the right to pick on it and influence it's internal affairs.
This brings me to my point: I am sick and tired of Americans inflenceing the internal affairs of my country. US policy has, for far to long, shaped the politics of this country. And if we don't agree with the US on a certain issue, the shut us out until they get their own way. Take the Vietnam War for example. Canada refused to actively participate and sheltered draft dogers when the came to Canada seeking refugee status. At the very start of the war President Lyndon B. Johnson was infuriated that Canada refused to participate. During a state visit to Canada Johnson (who was a large beefy texan) was so mad that he literrally took Prime Minister (Lester B.) Pearson by the scruff of the neck and and shook him, screaming at him about not helping America in the fight against communism. Hello? It's our right to refuse to participate in a conflict that we deem not to be morally in line with what we see fit. It's not your decesion to drag us into the war. Likewise with the Iraq conflict. If you're feeling that Saddam needs to be brought to justice, then fine by all means do so, however we as a nation reserve the right to make an independent and unbiased judgement to stay out of said conflict. It's that simple. We will not be bribed or bullied by the American goverment into anything as a nation that we see unfit. End of discussion.
In conclusion I would like to say that I believe that America needs to simmer down and stop pushing people around. That's why you have War on Terror, the Iraq conflict, rising oil prices, Venezuela being ticked off at you (amoung other countries.) and hordes of angry muslims denouncing you left and right. If you didn't push people around they'll be happy and you wouldn't have had 9/11 either.
Sorry this entry is a bit late, but I really havn't been feeling up to it these days. The number of entries could drop from now on, because of the fact I now have a job.
Nathaniel
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