[Erax]

OK people, forgive me if I sound a bit harsh, but as an inhabitant of 'the rest of the world', I would like to state my opinion. While I speak for no one other than myself, I believe there are many people out here - a whole lot many people - who would agree with me (I also got a little carried away towards the end, but that is honestly the way I feel).

The US had - and has - the power to make or break the UN, and this time, they chose to break it. While some people claim that this is the first step in a worldwide power grab, I feel that the problem is, in fact, the opposite.

America doesn't want to take the UN's place. You don't want to take on the role of world leader or even the lesser role of world mediator. As soon as all governments which threaten you have been removed or intimidated into submission, you will retreat back into your isolationism. And that is what makes me mad.

You see, in their day, the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence were as revolutionary as the Communist Manifesto. Your Founding Fathers believed their ideals applied to all people, everywhere. But from the late 80s onward you did not try to push the world towards democracy and away from oppression and corruption. Sure, you participated in flare-ups in several trouble spots around the world, but they weren't part of a concerted effort.

This is nothing less than tragic. After the fall of the Communisr Bloc, you had the power to create a world according to your own ideals (and believe me when I say that most of us out here think you do have that power) but did not act on it. That is why we do not trust you now. Those of us who hated you during the Cold War still hate you today, but they are a tiny minority. The rest of us - the ones who cheered along with you when the Berlin Wall came down - have been feeling cheated for quite some time now.

The good news is, you still have a way out. Your government says it wants to create a democracy in Iraq, which may serve as an example for the rest of the Middle East. That is exactly the kind of project we've been waiting to see all along. We wish you the best of luck with it, because it is not only your national safety which is at stake there, but also your credibility.

If, in your arrogance, you consider us - and our trust in you - irrelevant, if you believe you can achieve safety for yourselves solely through force and intimidation, you will face increasing opposition every step of the way. Your power, without wisdom, will fall of its own weight.

If, on the other hand, you have the courage to live up to your ideals and make an honest attempt to spread them to the rest of the world, we will stand behind you and help you sweep away everything that threatens you - terrorism, drugs, international crime - because they are also a threat to us. America, seize this opportunity now while you still have it, and take the place you deserve in History.