Just Say "No" To Verbose Prostest Signs

This image doesn't seem to be working... click it for the full Newsweek article topped by the picture. The article is one I've been hearing about all day, published by Newsweek last week, entitled "The Arrogant Empire". It analyzes world public opinion versus world government support. In fact, while the United States has the backing of a dozen or so governments, it has the support of a majority of the people in only one country in the world, Israel. If that is not isolation, then the word has no meaning.

Author Fareed Zakaria goes on to look at support for American policy during the Cold War, the shock of seeing America in action post-9/11, the balance of power, FDR & Truman's magnanimity, and Bush's failure to follow their footsteps. Zakaria says it better than I can: [After 9/11] Bush announced an expansive, vague Wilsonian vision—which has merit—but his style and methods overshadowed its potential promise.

Indeed. Bush, like many conservatives, views content as supreme. Bill Clinton didn't give a tinker's cuss about content. Bill Clinton was a very, very popular man. Now, I agree that content is more important than style. Diplomacy, however, is an arena where style is content, since everything is done so subtly. Bush's careless pride in throwing around American power has none great harm to us as a nation.

The Bush administration could reasonably point out that it doesn’t get enough credit for reaching out to the rest of the world. President Bush has, after all, worked with the United Nations on Iraq, increased foreign aid by 50 percent, announced a $15 billion AIDS program and formally endorsed a Palestinian state. Yet none of these actions seems to earn him any good will. The reason for this is plain. In almost every case, the administration comes to multilateralism grudgingly, reluctantly, and with a transparent lack of sincerity. For a year now, President Bush has dismissed the notion that he should make any effort toward a Middle East peace process, even though it would have defused some of the anti-Americanism in the region as he sought to confront Iraq. Suddenly last week, to gain allies on Iraq and at the insistence of Tony Blair, Bush made a belated gesture toward the peace process. Is it surprising that people are not hailing this last-minute conversion?