[karajorma]

Originally posted by Rictor
And please, don't talk about the "Serbian war record" or Albanian claims to ownership. You know nothing of either. Though I don't know everything there is to know certainly, I suspect that my info stems from sources a bit more varied and a bit more reliable than CNN..

Hey. I didn't say that the Kosovo Albanians weren't a bunch of genocidal scum and I'd fully agree that they've done their own version of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo with the UN looking on.

But then again the UN looked on with the same stupid expression on their faces while the Serbs were carrying out much the same thing in Bosnia and Croatia.

Had the UN not moved in the situation would simply have been reversed and instead of ethnic cleansing of Serbs we would have simply had ethnic cleansing of Albanians. The UN's plan was to stop a repeation of Bosnia but like I said the UN couldn't find its arse with both hands so it failed miserably.

While the UN must take a large portion of blame for the mess they made in Kosovo it doesn't follow that Serbia can simply point at US generals and say "It's all his fault." If Serbia had not previously been involved in two wars within such a short period of time people might not have been as quick to assume that it was just a case of them being at it again when trouble started in Kosovo.

[diamondgeezer]

Originally posted by PhReAk
holy ****! a non-american that doesn't hate the US!!!~~!11

I flat refuse to jump on the America-hating bandwagon.

[karajorma]

I don't particularly hate Americans either. I got there about once a year and most of them seem perfectly nice people.

I hate the American governement with a passion but then there are easily 200 Million Americans who hate them more

[Flipside]

I suppose my real concern is that, no matter how I try, I cannot find periods of History where the administrative leader of ANY country has claimed to be doing 'God's work' and which hasn't included a period of mass murder/destruction/suspicion and seperatism. Indeed, it was such a regime who practices were used as an excuse to start the Iraq War.
This is why I get REALLY nervous when I see the American President about 2 sylabbles from saying exactly the same thing.

Remember, it is America which is mistrusted, I have no problem with Americans whatsoever. Small minded people like Bin Laden bundle you all in the same basket, and after his actions, he deserves to be captured and punished, I would never question your countries' right to that.

I suppose this War on Terrorism should really be a War on 'Them and Us' attitudes, which is far closer to the source of the problem... as if 'They' are somehow any different in their thoughts, hopes and fears from 'Us'. What concerns me about America is that their current foreign policies seem to serve only to highlight to the Middle East EXACTLY who America considers to be 'Them' and who is 'U.S.'.

Flipside

[magatsu1]

I think "them" and "us" was a natural reaction when faced with horrors such as September 11th.

I also think we are now seeing the damage America did (knowingly or otherwise) to some of the countries during the cold war years.
Although we must remember why they did what they did at the time.

I believe the Anti-America brigade forget (ignore ?) how desperate those cold war times were.

[Unknown Target]

I used to be quite proud of my country (USA), but now I'm not so sure. Most of the people living it are quite nice, decent people, but the upper guys are the ones that bug me.

[Flipside]

It IS a country to be proud of, it's own people made it that. I am certainly glad of the relationship between our two countries. However, this is what I mean about America and Americans, Bin Laden thinks he can hurt America by acts such as the 11th Sept, but all he has suceeded in hurting is Americans. Two buildings and financial disruption will not deeply hurt America in the long term, though it has deeply hurt all Americans.
I agree with Magatsu that what happened deepened the 'Them' and 'Us' divide. But that is a reason to fight all the harder against it, otherwise, in every single way, Bin Laden has achieved exactly what he set out to do.

Unfortunately the reaction of America was to become secular and to treat ALL of the Middle East with suspicion, it still does. An understandable reaction in a way. When America acts like this in another country, all Americans are assumed compliant with the act. The fact is that, at the moment, America is flexing it's muscles and basically re-asserting it's position as a Superpower. Now, I know this may not be the will of the American people, but this strutting is branding them all.

Flipside