Well i just want your opinion... America is hated by some people because we intervein too much

And then there are those who think we don't intervene enough.

Its a loose loose situation. We'll never make everyone happy.

--cheers

Digital i like the way you think.
To me i think we should not fall

into isolationism, America the

land of the great does not

intervein in affairs too much, we
are israels friends and israel

keeps getting attacked. Do you

think we should intervien more in
the israel? But i am a friend of

Israel i love israel.

I felt much more sympathy for Isreal before they started the incursions, the curfews, and the killing of civilians. They no longer have the moral high ground.

I don't know how much more help we can give to them since all they want from us is money and military supplies.They have nukes which is the only thing they haven't used yet. I certainly do NOT want our forces going in to fight. I do NOT want to send an army more weapons to fight civilians that have so little they use their bodies as weapons. There is nothing more dangerous than people with nothing to lose and that is what Isreal is fighting.

They have no immediate hope for peace since Sharon will stay in power nothing will change. Where is Arafat anyway? I haven't seen or heard of him in months. Maybe he's dead. That could be a good thing if anyone wanted to start negotiating with someone else.

I wouldn't mind if america interviens more in these cases. If arafat died im sure their will be mass suicides in israel due to terrorist. I think america should intervein more... not in american troops but in american supplys. I think we should do what we did to britian in ww1 i forget what it was called but give them the supplys then after the war pay america

You're probably thinking of the Lend Lease act.

Why should we give money to any country when we don't want to take care of our own people?

MT

Also, I don't see how Isreal needs even more supplies to fight against civilians with no way to fight back except home made bombs. You can't stop those.

Tanks, planes, missles, and a fully armed army isn't enough? Maybe that's the first clue that bombs don't solve everything.

Please explain to me how, america is not taking care of our own people?
Danya- that is not enough to take care of their situation that is happening their. Mainly israel uses tanks and sometimes planes, but hardley uses its missles unless thought to be a terrorist in their building. I think israel should do ANYTHING to stop it. My only question to all here is When Saddam is out of power do you think America will allow israel to intrude after the war with iraq is over

A few that come to mind:

Several million Americans are without health care because they can't afford it.

Every city has homeless people wandering about

Bush just announced that Federal employee will not get their full pay raise

Millions of Americans, including children, go to bed hungry every night.

Inner city schools are deplorable

We can't afford to guard our borders

MT

The only thing that will help Israel is peace and we are currently fresh out. When Sharon is no longer in power and is ready to stop building settlements on disputed lands, pull back their armies, and extend an olive branch, no matter how small...then the U.S. should help mediate, provided there is someone else in the Whitehouse.

I didn't understand your comment about letting Israel intrude after Saddam is out of power. Saddam has held on to his power for decades and it may not be so easy to get rid of him. And no one can be sure what will happen once he is gone. We may be jumping from the pan to the fire. What is it the Isreal wants to do exactly?

I don't think America should fall into isolationism.

The World enjoyed the vibrant America selling its consumer products to those who wanted them.
However America is no longer content to just sell itself because the rest of the world has caught up with it, economically, leaving it with a huge negative trade imbalance in the region of 1.3billion and increasing.

There is little point going deeply into the extent of American International borrowing in this thread other than to mention that if every American citizen gave 40% of his/her cash income to the state the debt may be payed off within 20yrs.

The money it made successfully selling its products has been poured into the military, and it appears to be at the expense of the American internal infrastructure and wellbeing.

There is no more 'Balance of Power' other than China and it's neighbours to keep America under check.
The American military will not challenge those who may fight back.

American power was often seen as a 'Velvet Truncheon'.
No more.
Its now stripped off the disguise and the big metal military stick is for all to see.


I refuse to believe this is the way the American public wishes.

Friends are those who give help, unconditionally, when asked with NO payback other than a moral responsability.
We may not agree with each others beliefs and way of life but we are people with loves and unloves.

I offer this as a pointer.
The way Britain and others are helping now despite the multi billion debt to America from Lend Lease payed off in the 1990's.

DESPITE the 27yrs remaining on strategic British bases leased to America under those terms. They were VERY hard terms for a nation under duress.

DESPITE Britain waiving any debts from the war involving Commonwealth countries.

Unconditionally????.

Friends????.

With the 'Velvet' visibly removed from the truncheon everyone HAS to be friends with America wether it is wanted or not.
Have a look back through history and take note of the carcases of empires who thought the same way.

Spend American money on America and the world may come to you.
Let the world sort itself out and if a friend wants help.....give it unconditionally.

It is just a pendulum........swinging back and forth until it settles in the middle, at balance.

Stop pushing...........

Regards..........Alan

Where do you get that?

While the economy was enjoying the high times, Clinton slashed the military budget. They were underfunded and overextended. Clinton "loathed" the military. And thats a quote

--cheers

Every peace time president cuts into the military. Can you imagine the negative words that would be shot about if a president needlessly dumped money into anything?

The last thing we need to do is give more support to Israel. They ignore our wishes and commit acts of terror with American weapons.

Rabin was the greatest thing to happen to that part of the world and some idiot Israeli terrorist put an end to his progress.

Isolationism? Absolutely not. Being powerful comes with responsibility and we need to accept it like grown-ups.

From my understanding Clinton did nothing with the military budget, he kept it the same. It was 250 billion when Bush 1 left, and he didnt do anything to cut it. And then Bush 2 came into effect and upped it another 100 billion.

I have always thought that Clinton cut military spending but I've never seen anything to support it. I just kind of thought it was true.

I would like to say, once again (sorry) that Clinton gave me the first raise the Army had seen in over a decade. Neither Bush has done that.

You can praise a president for upping military spending all you want but it doesn't count 'till it's going into the pocket or education of soldiers as far as I'm concerned.

Isolationism is bad mmmkay?

well do you think america should intervien in these affairs that can cause war in america

Things that "can" cause war in America? That's a big word man.
Almost every country CAN cause war in our country.
Blindly supporting Israel causes war in ON our country.

Well, heres a small bit of off-topic research (and why Roy got a raise):
http://www.bullatomsci.org/issues/1995/so9...l-spending.html
Members of Congress who oppose reducing military spending further argue that the defense budget is being "cannibalized" by non-defense programs. They point to defense conversion, aid to the former Soviet republics, environmental cleanup at military sites, and U.S. assessments for U.N. peacekeeping operations as examples of "non-defense" defense spending that does not contribute to national security. According to the Congressional Research Service, "non-defense" spending in the military budget increased from $3.5 billion in 1990 to an estimated $13 billion in 1994, about 5 percent of the 1994 defense budget, although this number is inflated by accounting changes.

http://www.cdi.org/issues/wme/spenders.html
On March 4, the Clinton Administration released its Fiscal Year 1997 military budget. The President is requesting $242.6 Billion for the Department of Defense. The total "National Defense" budget request, including military programs of the Department of Energy and a few other agencies, amounts to $254.4 Billion.

I dont know what military spending was like during the senior Bush years.

Isolationism should be avoided, definately. But if a nation says they do not want us intervening, we should respect their soveriegnty.

In the case of Israel, I sometimes wonder how advantageous it would be if a tyrant could assume control over both Israel and Palestine and treat both equally poorly, with torture, extortion, mass executions. Oh wait, that's already happening. The tyrant is terrorism, only no one there seems to realize it. The Iraelies and Palestinians are united in terror, in fear, in anger. The Holy Land is a slave to terror. Justice does not live there. Peace does not live there. Hatred breeds there.

In my opinion, America should restore justice wherever it is lost.

The world peoples do not hate Americans.
However a growing number of them do hate American meddling in their affairs and unfortunatly, by association, Americans in general.

Just how much respect for foreign sovereigny can be seen in the following article from the NY times dated 1997 following the disclosure of Chinese corporate money flowing into American election funds.
The resulting indignation simply highlights American hypocracy.

http://www.emayzine.com/lectures/usmeddling.htm

As for the restoration of justice..........who's justice?.
The way America views justice?, or the way individual cultures view justice some of which have been around much longer than America.

The growing awareness over the last decade that America has removed the 'kid gloves' and is now using the big stick method of achieving 'Global Corporate America' is the root cause of dissent.

Just ask the Palastinians about American justice while their land is continually being illegally settled by Israel.
Just ask some of the other countries who have been meddled with since 1948.

JUSTICE...........The quality of being actuated by truth and lack of bias.
I fear America fails dismally on both counts.

Regards.........Alan

Alan, your link doesn't work

Dunno mate!!........it works OK this end.

Regards.......Alan

It works on this end

Don't know what happened there, Alan. It worked this time.

I think your article points out a "problem" that is somewhat unique to the US. We can never fully be isolated from the rest of the world because we need world markets to sell our products. Accordingly, we desire for nations to have leadership that is receptive to our ways.

When we have established our products in a nation and that nation's government changes to one that is hostile to American ways, we often send in the military or, as Alan's article illustrates, the CIA to overthrow the government for one that is more willing to deal with us.

For this reason, we will never isolate ourselves. Isolationism is not the answer, but we need to find alternatives to the current US method of 'overthrow and re-establish' that seems to have been the policy over the last 50 years (at least).

Isolationism is bad.Most of the world depends on the USA for much needed supplys. My thought is no isolationism...i would PROTEST against it

I have never felt that America should isolate itself.
It has done very well in the past selling itself and its products to the world.
But it is an economic fact that the world has caught up, as it always does.
This is part of the reason the American balance of payments, and therefore the economy, is in such a poor condition.

The demand for American products is being chewed away by other manufacturers and suppliers.
Take a look at the proportion of imported cars on the road.
Boeings market share is being nibbled away by Airbus.
The major Hi Tech electronic exporter is no longer America.
Even something as individually American as the Macdonald chain is struggling with the competition world wide.
And so it goes on.

The one thing America has left, unchallenged, to maintain its standard of living is the military.
This is why the gloves are now off, and by this action is making enemies.

I hope sense prevails.

Regards........Alan

Jamie, the ideal solution would to have the peoples of a said nation enact change. Of course they would only do that if they had just cause in their minds, something worth dying for. That makes it difficult.

It's interesting to think of America as very much the modern empire, only instead of land, it has worldwide financial assets.

Link didn't work for me, either.

Alan -- that's interesting to note about the world catching up. I wonder what comes next after they do? Another cultural/economic/technological revolution brought on by America? In many ways America's current economy is founded on the evolution of computer technology (including the Web), which was largely an American-only development. Is this accurate?

Could the developments take place somewhere else, tipping the economic balance in favor of that nation?

should the USA fall under isolationsim? easy...NO. After WWI britain basically handed the police badge over to the US. Foreign policy in this country, may seem out of control, but it has to be. we need involvement over the globe to make an impression...and a long lasting one. The USA has progressed into a superpower at the most alarming rate yet in all of world history. the us must keep a prescence over the globe in order to regulate peace and prosperity. The moment our gov't doubts itself is the moment it falls. If the US is involved(militarily) in a certain region of the world, then it is substantiated, whether it be training, embassy usage, protection, or god forbid even war. isolationism is not an option for the US at the present moment however there is always potential or opportunity for such a change in policy

Also some countrys will starve because they depend on USA aids, and "chairty" by sources as feed the children.... Fubar i like the way you think

America can never become isolated from the World either for its own good or the Worlds.
However a few things need to be fixed.

To fulfill the duties of 'World Police' America has to be seen as Just and Unbiased in its international dealings.
Covert meddling in others internal affairs is hardly that and smacks of self interest, as does picking and choosing which International (UN) Resolutions to ignore.
Herein lies the problem.

The policy of 'Overthrow and Replace' mentioned by Jaime has caused a ripple effect which has placed America in the position of being 'enemy number one' in the eyes of a growing number of peoples.

There is little doubt in many minds that America has brought about its own troubles, as did Britain during its time in office, and has learned nothing from the past.

The point made by Fubar concerning the rapidity of American growth, power and wealth is quite valid and gives a clue as to what is happening.
Because of this phenomenon American culture appears to have adopted the short term 'quick fix' attitude which has overflowed into foreign diplomacy.

dscvry.
In both the technology and economic areas the World is already knocking on Americas door. On both counts it was most definately spurred on by American competition which is no longer dominant on the World markets.
Imported goods have risen and exported goods have fallen creating an enormous negative trade balance running into the trillions, and increasing.
International borrowing has also increased in order to maintain American status quo and standard of living.
(the actual figures are readily availlable on the web).

Most industrialised countries of the World measure their economic perfomance by the balance of payements account, elected Governments have fallen due to bad results.
If America was a business it would be broke.

The World needs American military power to maintain a 'Just and Unbiased' policing.
America needs the World to cure its economic problems.

Regards....Alan

To me america keeps the peace. If america became isolated terrorist can go anywhere cause havik and more war then the war we are currently engadged n at this moment.

Total isolation is not realistic, but it is something toward which we should work. The only reason to go to other nations should be to eradicate proven, dangerous threats (ie: Hussein, bin Laden, etc.). Other than this, we have enough to worry about domestically. Since we already have intervened in so many international affairs to date, though, we almost have an "unspoken vow" to continue this intervention. If we never did it in the first place, we wouldn't have to now. Therefore, we must be realists. We shouldn't stop intervention all together, but we should start weaning other countries off our financial and military assistance and support.

- Ken Marotte

Oh geez ...for every board i've been too: Political-debate.com, Yahoo message boards, MSN message boards, i've seen this question

And every time i say this:

The Last time we went into Isolationism, the Japanese destroyed almost ALL of our Pacific Fleet.

I think what prevented us from going back into Isolationism after WWII is the Cold War. From then on, we had the task of being the World Protector from communism

After the fall of the USSR, America had a 10-year nap

On 9/11, Osama Bin Laden woke us up & BOY WERE WE CRANKY!


So in other words....NO

No America was not isolated at all.
It is well documented that America was supplying equipment, at a big profit, to the Allies and also slapped a provoking oil embargo on Japan.
Isolationist???......I dont think so.



It was not 'napping'.

After the USSR collapsed America was left as the only 'Super power'.
Well before this, in the early 1948's to '50's following the end of WW2 American foreign policy revolved around the power of it's military and wealth.
Meddling in other Countries affairs became the norm.
During the 'Balance of Power' era with the USSR this meddling was a little more covert due to the fact that the USSR may not like it.
The same was true in reverse.




Understandable that America should be 'cranky'.
The meddling over 50yrs came home to roost when America considered itself 'untouchable'.
Welcome to the REAL World.

Regards.....Alan