The Reverend Bob
Fart Machine and Beastmaster
It's the money
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Why should the world?
- Thread starter Spirit of Light
- Start date
siti
Well-Known Member
Well there is that I suppose! Except...where the f*** is it?
The Reverend Bob
Fart Machine and Beastmaster
China gave us a better deal but we do still owe most of Europe
Cause you guys make us laugh. You guys voted in an orange to lead your country. You can’t get more hilariously charming than that.Makes the rest of us feel better about our own useless idiots in charge
dianaiad
Well-Known Member
Uh....because we do?
Just like Rome did, once upon a time, or the Soviet Union did, in its sphere of influence, and so on.
If you don't like it, then....don't do it.
....................and deal with the consequences. That there might BE consequences is why America thinks we have so much power over the other countries. It's not a moral issue. It's a power issue. We do have that power. Being people just like you guys, we'll use it.
Not as much as YOU GUYS have, historically, but we will.
it's just the way things are right now. That will change.
Or it won't.
(shrug)
As for me, well....I'm American. I LIKE my culture and beliefs. I think that they are just fine; I don't see why I have to apologize to you or anybody else for them.
I also don't think that, if you don't like them, you must follow them. I'm not telling you, after all, that YOUR way of doing things is all wrong, after all. At least, not as long as you don't mess with our culture and beliefs. I won't tell you how to live your life. You don't tell me that I'm evil incarnate because I live mine the way I do.
Fair enough?
The Reverend Bob
Fart Machine and Beastmaster
We're Number #1! 'Murica. Hell yeah!
When the rest of the world goes stupid, we 'Murican say "Hold muh Beer!"
Shad
Veteran Member
As it does. It has the most powerful military and the top economy.
Shad
Veteran Member
Russian accent. A lot of the resistance groups were communist in WW2. Russia was handling 3/4 of the Germany military vs 1/4 by Western Allies.
dianaiad
Well-Known Member
Oh, don't bring that up. They all want to pretend that didn't actually happen.
............that France could have kicked the Germans out all by themselves, and that the UK could have managed their part without us (well, THEY might have pulled it off....they've done harder things...) Heaven help 'em, America didn't do ANYTHING for them. At all. Ever.
dianaiad
Well-Known Member
....hmn....possibly. Hitler did the same stupid thing that Napoleon tried, after all, and got HIS butt kicked, as well.
Shad
Veteran Member
US is not using conquest as it's primary method. It is using economic first via trade laws and it's economic might. Foreign aid as a secondary. Military if there is a rational be it resources, economic or ideological at a third method.
Europe is tied to the US economically and by the military alliances. ME by mostly economic and foreign aid with Iraq and Afghanistan being the exception. However both have resources and ideological reasons. SA via economic and foreign aid. A lot of Asia has been conceded to Russia and China. Africa is a toss up. NA via economic and military alliance.
Canada was never conquered by the US but is bound to the US via trade and economy. If Canada were to cut off America now it would push Canada into the 3rd world standard of living.
The Reverend Bob
Fart Machine and Beastmaster
And Germany was running out steam due to national exhaustion by the time the US enter the war. But I do think we did prevent the Russians from taking the whole thing.
shmogie
Well-Known Member
Because we do.
As to your first question, I think it would depend on specific situations where the US was making a request or demand of a specific country. Historically, the US policy was to avoid foreign entanglements and remain neutral as much as possible, at least up until the 20th century. Much of that was for our own protection as well. We were more worried about European countries possibly meddling in our affairs than the opposite.
That started to change around WW1, and it took some convincing for Americans to go along with entering that war, with the idea that we were "making the world safe for democracy." To many Americans, that seemed like a noble cause. But once Germany was defeated in what they thought was the "war to end all wars," Americans didn't see any need to be involved anymore. We stayed out of the League of Nations.
We also initially stayed out of WW2, since we didn't want to get involved in it. In fact, if the Japanese had not attacked us in December, 1941, our entry into the war might have been much later. We weren't really all that prepared for war just yet, although we had been getting ready.
This was a major turning point in how Americans generally perceived our role in the world. The standard historical dogma in the US was that our previous "isolationism" was wrong. We were wrong to stay out of the League of Nations, and we were wrong by failing to act sooner against the Axis threat. We were wrong by failing to build up our armaments and letting ourselves get caught unprepared.
Appeasement was also wrong, which is something constantly brought up whenever war hawks want to get their way.
As to your second question, I don't know how much actual power America has over other countries - as power within America can be kind of nebulous and hard to pin down. In general, America is a powerful country due to our size, both in area and population, as well as industry, military experience, resource base, strategic location (the good fortune of having a two-ocean buffer).
And it's just a consistent fact of this world, both historically and in the present, that the larger "empires" will tend to rule over the "small fry" - to one degree or another. For Americans who have been born and raised in this country since WW2, I think we've been conditioned to believe that this is pretty much our national purpose - the "defender of the free world" and the "shining city on the ill" - that kind of stuff. Not everyone really believes it, and many people see it as something more insidious, greedy, and imperialistic.
So, I guess the positive answer is "We're not trying to rule the world. We just want to free the world and make it a better place."
But the negative, cynical answer might be "We are an empire, and empires rule."
And the neutral answer might be "If we didn't do it, someone else would."
Shad
Veteran Member
Sure boots on the ground and occupation combined with US military might and industry made Russia think twice. However remember I disagreed with the idea that Germany would have won WW2 without US involvement.
Germany was at a tipping point in 41 not outright defeat. Hindsight and all.
MonkeyFire
Well-Known Member
Killjoy.
shmogie
Well-Known Member
Oh really ? The war started in earnest in 1939, we entered in 1941. Germany was nationally exhausted in two years ?
There were no Russian bombers bombing Germany..............................
The Reverend Bob
Fart Machine and Beastmaster
There was no way Germany was going to win. The US getting involved when it did served to end the war more quickly but sooner or later that madhouse called Nazi Germany was going to collapse internally and/or externally. The Nazi leadership was comprised of crazy people especially Herr Fuhrer. God know how long it would've have lasted if the US didn't enter.
The Reverend Bob
Fart Machine and Beastmaster
Battle of Moscow changed everything.