fool on the hill

There will always be problems worldwide, but when your the biggest bully on the block (now that the Soviet Union is defunct) that means all the more that one's power should be held in check. "Hubris" is not a word in the American lexicon unfortunately.

I am not for isolationism (I am a strong supporter for a better, stronger UN). If the US is going to be a model for "promoting democracy," hey, I'm all for that. But utilising "soft power" or "hard power" for unilateral support for the vague abstraction of "American interests" is not the way to do it.

As it is, I think the US bullying of other countries in the name of unilateralism has fostered more distrust and unrest. Most Americans (not just in the south) may be oblivious to this fact, but its not lost on the rest of the world.

And believe me, I've been highly critical of the policies of other nations as well... To quote from Spiderman: "With great power comes great responsibility." Being the most powerful country in the world means we should be hold ourselves to a very high standard. That requires some vigilance on our part as citizens of the world and to our neighbours (literally and figuratively). What the US does isn't just about *us* but affects the lives of people worldwide.

~ josh

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