I saw an interview on tv with Bush, and he made a very good point.
The only way he’s been able to get the Arab countries to go along with the coalition to fight Iraq was by selling it as a method to push Iraq out of Kuwait. That was where his mandate stopped. To capture Hussein personally would have meant:
Actually finding him, which could have taken months or more and meant occupying Iraq during that time and pretty much doing house-to-house searches. It also might have taken sweeping into other countries as he fled.
Unintentionally killing lots more of Iraqis, making at the very least a big public relations problem.
Giving the anti-American units around the world a big piece of ammunition: “America is a lying warmonger that just wants to manipulate smaller countries so it can pursue its own fascist agenda!”
Could we please get an opinion from a country that isn’t horribly socialistic? I think the fact that most these people consider Clinton and Carter moderately conservative speaks for itself. It isn’t any surprise that these people would consider Bush and Reagan complete dolts.
I would like some opinions from more capitalist countries.
How about Hong Kong? Korea? Singapore? How do these people feel?
It’s interesting to see how many folks report that Wilson is respected abroad. I think this is unsurprising given his support for the League of Nations and his intent to provide the Germans with an honorable peace in WWI.
However, it turns out that Wilson (or at least his administration) did a great deal to build instituionalized racism in the US… it’s hard to have too much respect for him after you learn the details about this.
Very amusing post, greenteeth. Hong Kong is communist since 1997, and Singapore is a dictatorship. 500 to 1 says Bush is hated in South Korea-- you may have noticed news of demonstrations in the streets there against him, in reaction to his recent posturing over North Korea.
Are there other countries whose ‘socialistic tendencies’ seem less horrible to you? Let’s stick with democracies.
nogginhead, whether a country is a democracy is largely irrelevant in my view. Note that even though Hong Kong is controlled by Communists they still are largely capitalistic in nature. Also, Singapore is a VERY VERY capitalistic. Whether they are controlled by a dictator has nothing to do with their economic views. I have no problem with you attacking me as long as you know what you are talking about. Also, I am not saying that I oppose socialists. All I am saying is that their views towards our presidents is predictable. I just want to hear from some more non-europeans.
When I want to attack you, I’ll ask you to have a conversation in the pit. What I was attacking was your notion that all of the countires represented by the respondents were somehow socialist in nature, and not seeming to be able to suggest a non-socialistic country that was democratic.
I think many many people, myself included, would dispute your opinion that capitalism and autocracy are independent features of governments.
If you read the posts, you’ll find many non-Europeans listed.
I’m asking again, quite seriously, whether you can name countries that seem not to be ‘horribly socialistic’, while restricting your attention to democracies.
I think you would have a very hard time of doing that successfully, but that is not the topic here and I won’t perpetuate it.
Why are we limiting the topic to democracies? I want to hear the opinions of all people, not just the Europeans. And yes, I know non-europeans have answered, but I want to hear more. What do people in Taiwan think, what do people in Vietnam think, what do people in Peru think? What do people in Ghana think? What do people in Thailand think. So no, I won’t say no socialist countries. I admit I wasn’t being fair. But as I said before I personally would like to hear from some more non western Europeans. I especially am interested in capitalist countries, just to see how their opinion (if it even does) differs. Also, I do have an idea about how S. Korea might feel about Bush, but to stay on your own topic how do they feel about the other presidents? I don’t care about who comes out looking better, I just want a diverse polling.
This is an interesting topic and I am glad you started it. I seriously don’t mean to be a problem. As to capitalistic democracies, only a short list (3 surely, a couple I’m not 100% sure about) comes to mind. I will work it for you.
Just for the record, speaking as a thoughtful and (I hope) informed Canadian… I think America’s Founding Fathers are respected everywhere. The great ringing phrases of the Declaration of Independence must rank right up there among the noblest thoughts the human mind has ever created, and that document is a treasure any freedom-loving person must respect and honour. Among U.S. statesmen universally acknowledged as great, I’d put Jefferson, Lincoln, both Roosevelts, and maybe JFK, though he didn’t really have time to prove it beyond any doubt. There hasn’t been a U.S. President with that kind of stature since 1963.
My own country hasn’t had a Prime Minister worthy of the job for a long time either, but that’s another thread…
In greenteeth’s defense, I’ll note that I found the Taiwanese and Egyptian posts to be pretty interesting. (gt: If another horrible European shares his or her views, just avert your eyes. )
Of course, there’s also Latin America and Africa to consider…
I think the reason why right wing US presidents tend to be regarded badly outside the US has more to do with their foreign policy than the fact they hold right wing views.
Right wing presidents tend to be more unilateralist, at least recently. Clinton signed the US to Kyoto, while shortly after gaining office Bush took the US out of the following agreements:
ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE TREATY
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION
COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY
CONVENTION ON THE PROHIBITION OF LANDMINES
SMALL ARMS
CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION
KYOTO GLOBAL WARMING ACCORD
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (ICC)
U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child
If a left wing US president had done all that he would be hated abroad, regardless of his political leaning.
I’ll grant you GwB as an exception, but from this perspective, GOP presidents have tended to be the multilateralists. Keeping the allies onside rather than be more domestically focused.
Out of interest, when was the last time you think the US actually had one of these?
I’m just trying to make the point that i think foreign policy matters more to non US citizens’ view of US Presidents than their spot on the left-right wing scale.
I’m not sure what you mean by GOP, but i guess you’re saying that Republicans tend to be the multilaterists? Maybe thats true historically, but not for the last two presidents. I wouldn’t know about previous ones as i was either too young, or not born yet!
I don’t think the US has ever had a left wing President by european standards, as US politics tends to be more right wing.
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