OT (or is it?): American Imperialism

[Nodachi]

Right now North Korea's missiles have an estimated range of 3600 miles. That is why China is pushing so hard for them to discontinue their nuke program.

Speaking of China, they are the next potential threat. If they were to switch their production over to a war footing it would make the US's WWII war machine look like kids playing with blocks. It really is just a matter of time before China starts trying to expand. When they do none of their neighbors will be able to stand up to them in a conventional war. If the US steps in to stop them it will (yet again) be the bad guy in the eyes of the world sticking their nose in where it doesn't belong. Yet if the US does nothing the world will cry foul that the US is 'allowing' China to act aggressively.
We catch Hell either way.

[dogscoff]

I have just one thing to say on this. The fact that much of the world has the right to chose their way of life at all, is do in large part to the actions of the United States. How soon the ungrateful will forget.

Seems to me the America of the 1940s bears very little resemblance to the america of today. I mean, no-one expects the Germany of today to be the same as it was 65 years ago.

I've always found it interesting that with all the money the US spends overseas (look at our trade deficits) it seems to be one of the most hated countries of the world.

Woo. Money. Yeah. That's OK then.

We've never heard any important news from {afghanistan} in over a year. For as far as I know, Afghanistan is now a peaceful, free country.

Or the exact opposite. Ah, the short attention span of the media...

[EvilGenius4ABetterTomorro]

I should have known this was a Euro-Whiner type of topic. America attacks countries because because we can. And sometimes doing things the nice way (diplomatically) is slow and chock full of Euro-self intrest that it's sick. Iraq may or may not have been a mistake. I could not imagine how many more years the Hussain family would have ruled Iraq. I'm just mad that my president had to lie to me about going in. I'm also mad that his buddies are making alot of money off of it too. And I must confess that I am really enjoying all the European countries trying to negotiate the end to Iran's nuclear program..all to no avail. And when that diplomacy fails who do you think their gonna call? The U.N.? Don't even bother. China and Russia will veto any military intervention there. What are those poor peaceful and concerned European countries gonna do? We practically had to pull all of the E.U. (screaming and crying) just to help out in Kosovo! And in the end they caught a French General calling Serbia on his cell with that nights targets! Wow, what great friends.
As for U.S. nuclear warheads in France? Bull! France is not a member of NATO and they have enough of a nuclear deterrent anyway. You may have warheads in your country but thats because you are a member of NATO. Just like their is a RAF training detachment in Nebraska. And if you remember, the U.S. had recalled the Pershing II delivery vehicles and destroyed them in full view of Russian spy satellites. The Tomahawk GLCM's were recalled and re-fitted for aerial and naval launch platforms. And I do recall we are destroying our warhead stockpiles, it takes time you know. If we were true Imperialists, you wouldn't even have a government to complain too. You would be called "Airstrip One".
If your culture is so superior then just do what we do and market it. Let's see something coming back this way instead. I know the commercialism is annoying. It makes me really sick at Christmas time. But we're not the only ones. The asians are so into it, that I can't even understand what they are selling sometimes. Go look at engrish.com
And if you think our businesses own everything, you should see who owns our businesses. Not the Japanese or Saudis. The Dutch and British are the biggest investors in American business. The Japanese don't even come close. Except in Hawaii of course.
I just feel that this time around we are caught with a bad administration that people were too scared to dump. Don't hate us for it. We mean well. And if it's not us selling you crap, it would be someone else. Someone else who isn't your friend.

[Puke]

i was talking to a friend the other day, and we were discussing that modern day america is probably the last empire the world is likely to see, and that this is probably the end of it.

i mean, not like its going to come crashing down tomorrow, but the era of imperialism is on the wain. after we succumb to ignorance, corruption, and decadance, i dont think anyone else will ever achieve the same things. i dont think any one nation will ever dictate global policy in the same way, nor will other nations plant military bases all over the world. none others do now.

but for all that, it does not much feel like we (in the US) are living in a great empire. it feels pretty mundane, like any other place.

or does it? Japan and Hongkong are both very modern, industrial, first-world places - by any measure. citizens enjoy a high standard of living, and you can find some of the most expensive realestate in the world there. But many things are not like you would expect to find in the US. toilet water is sea water, and is not desalitinized. paper napkins in restaurants are very small and thin sheets. if you want hot water, you have to turn on your own water heater and wait for it to get hot - it does not run all the time. so its an extra 5 to 10 minutes when you want to take a shower, and you usually wont bother with the heater just to wash your hands.

In the States, i flush my fecies down the toilet with fresh drinkable water. i could take a gulp from the back tank of the toilet if i was so inclined, and it would be more sanitary than the real drinking water in most of the world. I can be a pig at a restaurant, and use as many danm napkins on my greasy fingers as i want. and I have hot water whenver i want it, a big heater is running round the clock just incase i get the urge to wash my hands at 01:00 in the morning.

supermarkets here are better stocked with produce and all manner of foodstuffs. it might not be as fresh as what you could get in a european maret, but we sure as hell have more of it. year-round, too. you can buy things in the states even outside of their growing seasons, thanks to hydroponics, genetic engineering, and farms in places with all kinds of weather. I can go to the market in the dead of winter, and buy as much citrus fruit as i can carry.

and those are just a few small examples of the luxuries that we overlook. sure, we dont have seargent pepper parrading his company up and down the square for the pomp and glory of our empire. but undeniably, this is an empire - and our great-grandchildren will probably never see another one like it.

[EvilGenius4ABetterTomorro]

We are already developing advanced Hypersonic aircraft that don't need forward bases. I bet they probably won't need pilots either. Looking forward to that new E.U. Swift Reaction force. Let's see Europe do some world policing for a change. I get a little tired of others always yelling at the U.S. for not getting involved/getting involved. I guess when your on top, all that heavenly backlight makes for a good silhouette to take shots at.

The American Empire: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

[Renegade 13]

EvilGenius, I agree with nearly everything you have said. It simply is too easy to criticize, and not look at the way things "could have been". Most of the time, the other options the US had would have led us eventually to a worse world. I'm not saying I like wars, but sometimes wars are the only way to change corrupt, and just truely evil places. I for one am happy my country is an ally of the US. And I'm sure as hell happy that the US is around....if it wasn't I'd probably be speaking Japanese by now.

[Renegade 13]

Atrocities said:
Oh ya, just for the record, I know that if the crap really came down, our friends the Canadians, Mexicans, and even a few over seas would stand with us.

Damn right we'd be with you! Unless you were trying something like genocide....don't think I'd be with you then But come WWIII, I'll be there, fighting alongside Americans, you can bet on it. [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Flag_Canada.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Flag_Canada.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Flag_Canada.gif[/img]

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

So... you'd be fighting in WWIII. Just don't expect to survive.

Call me a ****ing idiot, but I still believe WWIII will be fought using, amongst other weapons, nukes. If worst come to worst, and we get WWIII, it will most likely involve China and N-Korea... both with nukes... on one camp, and the NATO on the other.

Global nuclear exchange.

(PM Sent to you)

[Atrocities]

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[TerranC]

StrategiaInUltima said:
Call me a ****ing idiot, but I still believe WWIII will be fought using, amongst other weapons, nukes. If worst come to worst, and we get WWIII, it will most likely involve China and N-Korea... both with nukes... on one camp, and the NATO on the other.

*Sigh* I give up. This man is lost to us. Whoever that tries to actually inform him that the cold war is over, I wish him luck.