Why do Americans find it difficult to admit to being bullies - or even Imperialists - in foreign policy?

Question

All the answers so far that I've seen that criticise American policy get lots of votes against. There is never an explanation - it is almost as if no one should dare.

Take the Annexation of Hawaii - a formerly sovereign state - as an example. Take the retention of Guantanamo Bay after the Spanish-American War as another.

This is great! The scoring on the answers speaks volumes - not to mention the occasional aggressive tone.

Answer 1

What do you mean NO control over? Last time I checked, Americans VOTED.

The question is not that Americans have no control over their government but more so that they don't a clue as to what is going on outside of their borders, except from what they hear in their media, which are usually highly biased and excessively patriotic.
The sad reality is that Americans DO NOT care that their government - the government they voted for - is sending troops to invade or bomb countries; all they care about is their OWN safety and the argument of your average middle-class American is what they get from the media.

And careful, it is not the American people that are acting as bullies or Imperalists but rather their government, a government they still voted for.

Most Americans couldn't locate Iraq, Afghanistan or even the Middle East region on a world map. Most Americans don't even know the name of Canada's Prime Minister and I've heard some say that Canada was an American state,despite its being their closest neighbour with whom they share the world's longest unmilitarized border. So you can imagine the little they know about what their foreign policy is actually doing to the countries they are invading or have invaded.

When the U.S. Government imposed heavy taxes on Canadian lumber crossing the border, most Americans weren't aware that each day hundreds of Canadians were going jobless. and most Americans also don't know that the pollution coming from their plants along the border are killing Canadian forests at a lightspeed rate.

The problem is really the stagnating ignorance coming from the American society, a society that represents the world's superpower. They should be one of the world's most educated people and they're not.

I am not questioning the activities of the U.S. Government abroad (that's a whole other story), I am questioning whether Americans really know what is going on.
Many Middle East countries are not angry just because they think that ''America'' is evil and because they're against everything America strives for, e.g: freedom (freedom my *ss), that'd be too simple. There is a lot more behind this and it goes back decades. The United States just need one smart president to realize that, not some Texan who can't even speak English right and who most of the time doesn't seem like he knows what he is doing.

This is not a critique, this is a psychological slap meant to show reality.

Answer 2

For the simple reason that the United States has never sought world dominion in spite of all its great military power and cutting edge technology.

Empire building seems to go against the grain of the American mentality just like it did the Ancient Greek mentality, something which Alexander the Great found out when he tried to get the Greeks to help him conquer Persia and India.

Please understand that while the U.S. interventions in Lebanon (1983), Somalia (1992) and Iraq (2003) were foreign policy mistakes - all countries make them sometimes - they were still not attempts toward world dominion. There's a difference.

Guantánamo was not exactly a power grab. The United States did obtain it through a 99 year lease negotiated with the Cuban government in 1933.

Since military bases like Guantánamo are now basically outdated, I'm sure that the U.S. would have handed it back to Cuba years ago had Fidel Castro, a Soviet ally, not come to power there in 1959.

Somebody on this page mentioned Puerto Rico. Well, Puerto Rico could have its independence any time if it simply voted for it. However, most Puerto Ricans don't want to completely separate from the United States because Puerto Rico would become an impoverished banana republic if they did and they know it. .

Answer 3

Francis, I joined this forum just to respond to your question.This may be a bit long winded,for that I apologize.
First,let's not stereotype as it is a manifestation of closed-mindedness and hatred and I am giving the benifit of the doubt that you are merely being socially philisophical,although honestly I am hesitant to do so. That being said,"Americans" are not bullies.Some are,yes, most aren't.The U.S. citizens who are effecting foreign policies(and therefore affecting the peoples of other countries) are the top level politicians.As citizens we elect them and they represent us but only in a very general sense.We truthfully don't actually have any effect on their actions.Their influences are far reaching and many,but like a tree there is a common root...GREED.We could get into a very long discussion about the faceless corporate greed machine that has infultrated and taken over the top 5% of this country,and I had origionally intended to,but that is superfluous and for another time and place.
That being said,are our top level politicians acting purely out of benevolence in reguard to foreign policy...NO. Do their actions often bring about a positive change...I hope so and do believe so.As a small example of what I am referring to,there is a very long list of murderous,abusive,megalomaniacal dictators who have been "removed" from a position where they were performing atrocious acts against their own citizens in the name of greed and power. I of course could give more examples,but I'm trying to keep this short(too late!!!!)
Every government has it's share of problems,mistakes,and horrendous oversights; but the only thing any of us could really hope for is that the good somehow outweighs the bad(in fact that is true of all of us as individuals so put that into your karmic pipe and smoke it!!!!).
Many foriegners view America as a group of meddling bullies who are trying to police the Earth.One perspective that I see(referring back to the good outweighing the bad) is that the American Government and the soldiers who are the arm of that power are willing to put themselves in harms way,risk and give their lives in far away lands, to try and stop some of these abusive tyrants from commiting horrible acts of murder,torture,and worse against their own innocents.You'd be hard pressed to find many others IN THIS WORLD who would stand up next to a poor man in a dirt hovel,in some third world country 5000 kilometers away from home,who he has never met and says, " I will stand next to you,defend you,and even die for you to protect you and your loved ones." Of course,if our Government says that I would take it with a grain of salt; but when it's the American soldier who says it, he means it.(That's why you'll never see a politician fighting for the freedoms they say they are defending...they send the soldier to do it.)
Think of America's foreign policy like a big brother: Will he sometimes smack you around and make fun of you just because he can...YES. BUT...does he love you and would he defend you if someone was bulling you and you needed his help....ABSOLUTELY.
ps. Thank you Snowy, I'm sure most of us would like you also.

Answer 4

I am American and am not afraid to admit that we are bullies and Imperialists in a foreign policy sense. But I'm just being honest. It is a difficult thing, keeping our place as the world's superpower. Many times our government makes really unpopular moves in order to maintain/advance our world standing. What do you expect from a superpower?! Your country, assuming you're English, for centuries was THE BULLY in foreign policy. We are just picking up from where you left off. Personally, I don't like a lot of what our government stands for...in fact, I'm sick of it. A lot of us feel like we're being held captive by our government and we can't do a thing about it...democracy is a great thing isn't it?!

Answer 5

That's exactly what i always find it frustrating.

It's all well documented in history about US's wrong and unjust policies, plunderouse acts in regard to others natural resources, bullying, imposing power, supporting many dictators to their advantages ( Shah of Iran, Pinochet, Saddam,......), unfair side taking,.........and the list is endless!!

With the knowledge of above conducts YET, there're many Americans who're ignorant enough to look the other way and pretend nothing has happened!! Because US had contributed to WWII or silliness like that or just being a pure ''nationalist''!!
Our blood richer than the others, so to speak!

These kinds are ruining the good that America has done in the past, just by acting so ignorant!

Answer 6

Manifest Destiny.

God Bless America!

Answer 7

in the past I start up, in case it quite is a partisan sheep form of element. Bush finished little or no in his time as President besides. He staved off the recession yet did no longer positioned us out of threat of it, going to conflict grow to be no longer an "success" yet purely the reaction any President who had a human beings crying for justice could have achieved and the conflict grow to be by no potential a success considering that we are nevertheless scuffling with it and there is not any actual lead to sight (so i assume if starting to be the suitable, neverending conflict is an success then...umm, yay?), and starting to be a bill to delve added into individuals' privateness grow to be no longer an success (a bill that the present administration has reinstated and stored alive as a observe for the donkey worshippers obtainable). i could pass so some distance as to declare that the coping with of Katrina and being "tricked" by potential of the Intelligence corporation have been absolute disasters. So at abode and afar, the final administration failed approximately the two. President Obama promised transparancy from the White abode, this has no longer been finished in fact there are greater issues that We the human beings of course don't have the excellent to be attentive to now than previous to his submit. i do no longer call a healthcare bill which will value contained in the trillions and specific something that a majority of people do no longer even desire an success. Being "impartial" with Hamas and Israel isn't an success and BP isn't an success. i think of that the present administration is failing because of the fact the final. At abode and afar the two. The Bailout, signed by potential of the two Administrations grow to be a real washout. It has no longer saved our financial device. the money could have been doled out to the yankee human beings in the event that they had to furnish a "bailout" (approximately 25k consistent with American citizen sound solid?). With lots failure over the previous various years, its worry-free to work out how individuals are starting to be to be used to it and don't likely anticipate something diverse.

Answer 8

Every country has a bullying mentality. The difference is that America is just better at suceeding in our threatening tactics than others. America is like the Lead bully and all others are bullies trying to be as good as the leader. lol Besides, America bullies other countries...other countries bully their own people which to me is worse. America takes care of its own.

Answer 9

hey you know what ? i'm not saying our policy is RIGHT okay but it's the only way to ensure our and everyone's else given right to life. you know someone right now wants to kill you because you are an infidel. NO doesnt matter what you say - you are an infidel -and so am i. Are you going to let people like that get control of the world ? Well if you do, I'll be right there pushing you out of the way.

Answer 10

Because the people are not punks.It's the elitists that control our leaders and every leader in the world.