As USA Burns – Germany & Japan Arise ¶ Pew Research

Ahead: Six Decades of Humiliation

NEW YORK June 29, 2005 — The world hates us more than ever, according to a new Pew Research poll of 16,000 citizens in 15 countries. Most Canadians think Americans are exceptionally rude. The Chinese say we’re violent and greedy. Nearly half of Turks–up from 32 percent a year ago–say they dislike Americans as individuals and America as a nation, according to the survey. Muslims have a “quite negative hostility toward America,” says Pew president Andrew Kohut. Even among our traditional allies the United States “remains broadly disliked”.

The reason for our declining popularity is no mystery: Bush’s unjustified, illegal war against Iraq. But Iraq, Bush’s doctrine of preemptive warfare and instances of prisoners being tortured and even murdered aren’t completely unprecedented.

The Last Ride of Paul Revere

… Theodore Roosevelt’s brutal suppression of Filipino insurgents at the dawn of the 20th century, continuing with the holocaust of two million Vietnamese civilians under LBJ and Nixon’s carpet bombing. Recently exemplified by a series of bullying adventures against such defenseless nations as Grenada, Panama and Afghanistan, the U.S. has become, perhaps to its surprise, the biggest danger to peace and stability on the planet.

Many Americans, still taking pride in the memorable image of “Gift of USA” flag logos on bags of grain being tossed to starving Africans, find it difficult to accept the role of international pariah. But the truth is that many people are as scared of us as they were of Germany and Japan in 1939.

Ah, irony. Our reputation has gone down the toilet with the Koran, but things are looking up for the Axis powers we defeated in World War II.

<snip>

Now the U.S. is the sole, charter member of its own Axis of Evil: invading and threatening invasions, breaking arms treaties willy-nilly, kidnapping and murdering foreign citizens without cause, refusing to abide by the Geneva conventions. But that will change someday–whether we’re forced to change, as were Germany and Japan, or whether we choose a different path on our own. What’s daunting is how much time – and humility – it will take for the rest of the world to trust us as much as they trust Germany and Italy.

[Pictures and links added are mine – Ed]

US Forces Have No Eyes and Ears
.
It’s been clear to me from the many casualties and the circumstances during the past year in Afghanistan, most military assets have been pulled out. Flying AWACs, A-10 Gunships, Apache helicopters, F-16 fighter support have been lacking or had taken too much time to be engaged in battle when the Special Forces had requested assistance. Result is unnecessary loss of valuable life of our men and women performing an impossible mission.

The region south of Khandahar to Pakistani border and north-east to Khost and Jalalabad have been cleared of Al Qaeda and Taliban troops. The even more rugged area beyond Jalalabad is where the US Special Forces went missing and the Chinook heli was shot down.

Contrary to the ArmyTimes.com report, I understood that in the rescue mission allied forces were involved, without further specifics given in the news item.

Asadabad is located in the northeastern province of Kunar. It is a mountainous region, and Asadabad is about five miles from the Pakistani border.

CIA Contractor Indicted for Abuse of Afghan Detainee
June 17, 2004 — A 38-year-old North Carolina man has been indicted for assaulting an Afghan detainee while working as a contractor for the Central Intelligence Agency at a U.S. military base in Asadabad, Afghanistan.

CS Monitor – Background Info Kunar Province