If the world loved America in the 1990's, why were our embassies in Africa, our ships, and the WTC bombed?

Answer 1

That America was loved by the world in the 90's is a myth of revisionist history. We had a lot of enemies then as well. Remember the hostage crisis of the Carter years? This is an old problem.

A lot of the world is jealous of us, and much of the world hates our freedom of speech, freedom for women to be educated, freedom to wear bathing suits, freedom to practice homosexuality or the religion of our choice.

This is not about who is president- it is about our culture.

Answer 2

You are right, the "love" for America goes back much farther than that. http://www.globalpolicy.org/empire/history/2000/0416ciairan.htm
Our meddling in foreign countries probably goes farther back than this CIA led coup of the elected Prime Minister of Iran back in 1953, but we have been doing this kind of thing for a long time. But, the escalation of our tinkering in the Middle East definitely grew rapidly after WWII. We helped push and maintain Israel, we bought the government of Egypt after Nasser, we did the same with Saddam in Iraq, we support the Saudi Royal family and have bases or surrogates, in Egypt, Yemen, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. As we more and more impose our will on the region, the rise in influence of those who would like us to leave continues on a similar path. As we do more violence, so do they. The Bush family has done the most violence in the region and so the violence to our assets like embasies, the Cole, and 9/11 have followed suit. That we funded and trained Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden to be a nuisance to the Soviets in Afghanistan, and they now are being used against us is no small irony. At least papa Bush had a real provocation to do so when Iraq invaded Kuwait, though he was really brutal in doing so, not only in how he prosecuted the war,, but also when he invited the Kurds and Shiites to revolt against Saddam, with the promise of our support, and then sat back and watched as those who did so were slaughtered. All of these things indeed happened before Bush Jr. took the office, and were not lost on the locals. If we were realistic about what we are doing in our pursuit of oil and its profits, we would accept this as the natural result of our actions, and be honest about it instead of saying "gosh and golly why are these people doing this to us?"
As a result of Bush Jr.'s latest invasions, we should expect at least more of the same from those who detest our exercise of power in their part of the world.

Answer 3

America has been hated for DECADES by those who are enemies of freedom. It's not Bush's fault; it's not Condi's fault....it's nobody's fault. Terrorists will always hate our guts--which is why it's so important that we defeat them while we have the chance.

Answer 4

Go, Matt!

Excellent question. All I can say is, somehow, someway, it's all Bush's fault.

Answer 5

Shhh.. don't confuse them with reality.