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Anti-American
Sentiment? |
October
1, 2003 - Buenos Aries, Argentina |
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I
am often
asked if I encounter anti-American sentiment in
my travels. Yea, you bet, see photo! It seems like
more and more lately. But it has never been directed
at me personally. People seem to be smart and kind
enough to distinguish between a countries' government
and its' citizens. |
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Not
my sentiments...
The American Embassy in Buenos Aires |
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Many
Latin American countries seem to have a self image problem.
Almost like a lack of patriotism but not exactly because
there is still great national pride. Sort of a feeling
that they, as a country will never amount to much. Never
really getting their act together. The U.S. is perceived
as a bully big brother who is perhaps capable of loving
but more likely to beat the crap out of you. Becoming
crapless is becoming the more real possibility in their
minds.
I spoke with an educated Venezuelan (a PhD from the US)
recently who was very fearful of the U.S. and their recent
military posture. He thinks Bush will use Venezuelas'
governmental instability or even Venezuelas' Presidents'
close relationship with Fidel Castro as an excuse to take
over the country and its' immense oil and gas reserves.
In my last entry (link)
I wrote about Argentinas' Dirty War. As I read about all
of the thousands of people who were 'disappeared' I thought,
how could the citizens of Argentina let this happen? How
could those "just following orders'" actually follow those
orders? Then I thought about what is happening to the
prisoners of our war on terror in Guantanamo Bay. 680
prisoners incarcerated indefinitely. No charges. No sentences.
No lawyers. 28 suicide attepts! (This is probably not
because afternoon milk and cookies were suspended.) Their
civil and basic human rights are being absolutely trampled
at the hands of MY government. Alright, perhaps the comparison
to THe Dirty War is a stretch, but not a big one. It is
still a travesty, skirting all laws and conventions of
common decency of our culture by keeping them 70 miles
offshore.
In the eyes of foreigners, our war on terror has made
us into terrorists. And in my eyes, our foriegn policy
is abysmally shortsighted, quite simply, sowing the seeds
of future generations of terrorists. |
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