A few months ago a Belgium newspaper wrote the following:
The American mortgage crisis affects banks in Europe. The insatiable American demand for oil makes the Arabian sheiks rich. The American refusal to care for the environment causes the North Pole ice to melt and coastal areas in Asia to flood. Hence, the world should be given the right to vote. Because the current situation is a blatant case of taxation without representation.
Today, the Wall Street Journal, took a look at how the world would vote, if it in fact had a chance. It seems support for the three candidates is divided among continents. Europe and Africa are enamored with the Kennedy-esque Obama. The Middle East is also fascinated with Obama's roots. Mexico and China are hopeful that Hillary Clinton will continue the free trade policies of her husband. France just warmly received John McCain, as he is viewed as a George Bush adversary.
It is true that American policy has global repercussions. Does it matter what other countries think about the candidates? If you're a voting American, how would you feel if you couldn't have a say in who is elected to lead the world's major superpower?
Torrini
Cultbeauty
3suisses
I don't think it's so much what other countries think about our President--as in whether they like him/her--as it is whether other countries respect him/her, and respect us for having elected him/her.
Like it or not, our elected officials represent us on the world stage, and play a large part in determining whether we are respected and our interests and concerns taken seriously. The more respect and diplomatic ties we are able to earn, the more we can get done globally.
This is one of the major reasons I support Obama. Thanks to the current administration, we are seen globally as big bullying buffoons, and we need a President who will change that and get us back on track in the world.
1I'm with Jude C. I'm an American living in the UK, and the US presidential elections are a bigger topic of conversation than even British politics, simply because America's choice of president will have a bigger effect on Britain - and the rest of the world - than any domestic changes. Many times I have heard my international friends say - only half-jokingly - that they should be able to vote in the American elections, if only to prevent an idiot like George Bush from becoming president.
So I definitely think the opinions of other nations should count for something - because the US is unlike the majority of the world's countries in that American politics don't just affect Americans.
2I agree with both of you!
3I find it interesting that Europeans and other parts of the world as well will be the first ones to call Americans conceited and claim "they aren't as great as they think they are" etc etc... but when something bad happens, it's all our fault. So we can claim nothing good because then we're conceited, but every single bad thing that happens is because of us?
Please.
4With you again, cabaker. I hardly see how everything bad that happens is our fault, but we're arrogant for being proud of our good deeds. We're expected to take action/repsonsibilty for the whole world, but everyone gets miffed if they don't agree.
Until I have a say in who gets voted into office overseas, I don't think they have a say either.
5Yay Monday!
6I think giving the rest of us a vote is a great idea, but obviously democracy doesn't work that way =)
I don't agree with cabaker27 (see below); but I think she does draw out an interesting point. For example, I think that right now, Australia is far more concerned about China and even India and the effects they have on us in terms of say, pollution, trade, and the economy, the first because of their rate of development and geographical proximity and consumption of resources, and the latter two because they're major trading partners and buyers of our resources.
So no, cabaker, I think people call SOME Americans conceited (and obviously that's an incorrect stereotype) because Americans more than any other groups of people market aggressively their way of life and their products as the best in the world, even violating other countries' sovereignties to do so (no other country in the world today just marches into another country declaring their way is better and therefore they have a right to bomb them. Historically countries that have done so, eg Japan and Germany in more recent times, have been vilified and punished for it.).
And we [i.e. non-Americans] ARE aware that plenty of bad things happen that have nothing to do with America or Americans. e.g., I personally think that Australian officials are the stupid ones when we allow America to take advantage of us in trade or commercial deals. America IS supposed to safeguard its own national interests and promote itself the best way it can; it's just stupid when Australian officials also habr American interests at heart, instead of Australian interests as they're elected to!
So...coming back to the topic!... I think Australians are very interested in the U.S. election, and IF given the vote, I think we'd vote Obama. To us, he comes with a clean slate; unfortunately Hillary Clinton irrationally to us just sounds like Bill all over again. eeep. I probably just highlighted my own ignorance - I'm happy to be educated by anyone in any way =)
7You are right, its certainly not everyone in the world that feels that way about America... I think we discussed this sometimes last week on another thread, can't remember...
I think I just get annoyed because it seems like the people who hate America and blame all of the worlds problems on the USA are the ones that tend to have jobs writing for newspapers or are on TV... so they have a platform to push this view no matter how irrational.
8Sorry for double-posting, but I took so long that Monday posted while I was writing my first comment!
Monday, I think *if* the situation you're portraying is correct, then yes, it is REALLY unfair for Americans. But I just don't think that non-Americans hold that opinion. Unfortunately, some idiotic buffoons DO lampoon ALL Americans unfairly, but honestly, most of us are not so stupid to really blame America for EVERYTHING bad and ignore the great things it does do in the international community!
I think it WOULD help though if the US administration showed that it's more willing to at least engage in meaningful debate with the rest of the world. It used to be a world leader in forming international policy and debate, but its well known and acknowledged by your leaders today that America in the last few years have increasingly turned away from world opinion, e.g., UN votes on issues, or when France, Spain and many other European countries didn't support it going to war in Afghanistan or Iraq.
Sometimes it's confusing, all the individual Americans i know personally are totally non-arrogant, humble, generous, big-hearted and the loveliest people, but honestly, in more recent times your leaders/the US administration have just carried out events that do affect the rest of the world in a detrimental way that make people recoil and say unfair things about Americans in general, which aren't true.
Regarding voting for overseas office-bearers, you must at least admit that the decisions made by an American government will affect the rest of the world more, GENERALLY, than who gets voted in in most other countries to lead the government. That's probably why America is called a world-leader and EVERYBODY in the world knows who the American president is and what decisions the administration makes, whereas most people in America don't know other world leaders adn the types of policies and decisions made elsewhere, because those decisions don't affect Americans as much?
Happy to be told I'm wrong! (and apologies in advance if I said anything incorrect or offence - not intended!) =)
9jadore I love how polite you are!
10Cabaker: definitely agree with your comment about the media and platforms etc. Thanks =)
11If I was in your position, hearing all that crap, I'm sure I'd be annoyed too!
(and i'm sorry I missed the other thread, will have to catch up.)
cabaker - bet you DON'T love how long-winded I am
12I just know that I'm actually pretty dumb and I like the way you're making me think and learn
Oh no I wasn't saying we shouldn't discuss this by mentioning that other thread... I just felt like I was repeating all my same arguments!! hahaha! Like a broken record in my head!
And you don't sound dumb at all, so don't say that!
13You're hardly dumb, jadore.... the fact that your answers are long show that you're explaining yourself... which I don't usually do because my phone/fax/emails are going off like crazy... 11 more minutes to go... I think your opinions are well thought out, even if they may be different from mine.
14The rest of the world can't possibly vote for someone worse than what we have now. Oh, except that Hitler guy. He was pretty bad.
15:
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I love how the rest of the world feels entitled to tell us how to run our affairs, but is mortally offended if we have any opinions about how they run their own internal affairs.
The mortgage crisis would not affect European banks if they were not buying into our banking and real estate institutions in search of profit. I think their own greed is what bit them, here; but it’s more fun to blame America.
It’s great to know that it’s only American demand for oil that enriches Arabian sheiks. So China and India are no longer fast-growing economies whose oil consumption is skyrocketing?
I’m also tired of all the wining from the global warming—oh, excuse me, “climate change” crowd. I notice that they had to rename their crisis because they couldn’t sufficiently substantiate it. I’m still waiting for solid evidence that it’s all human-caused. There are a lot of differing opinions in the scientific community, too.
If other nations could elect our leader, they would elect someone who best served *their* purposes, not ours. Europe would love to see a post-Christian moral relativist with socialist tendencies. Terror groups want us to elect an “it’s all America’s fault” pacifist.
No one would even put forth the notion that the world should be entitled to vote for the heads of state in France, Germany, Russia, China, Brazil, Cuba or Venezuela. I think this suggestion is as at least as arrogant as they claim Americans are.
16Haha...don't be mad cause most of the world actually likes Obama. It's Americans who are small-minded. My bad....SOME Americans.
17ha Lain! I love your posts! Great point about arrogance!
18I can't tell you how many times I've thought, Hmm... who would terrorists want to be the President of the US? And then thought, I think I'll vote for the other guy!
19how would the world vote? The question is absolutely irrelevant. plain. and simple.
20the belgiums can choke on thier waffles for all i care about thier opinion and "facts"
21"I can't tell you how many times I've thought, Hmm... who would terrorists want to be the President of the US? And then thought, I think I'll vote for the other guy!"
So, you'll be voting for Obama then? Hooray.
22haha indie you're funny!
23Haven't you guys been the least bit interested in international politics to have an opinion concerning who will or won't be voted in by a foreign government.
I don't think the opinions have or should have any affect on the vote, but I also don't see it as a negative thing or bashing America to have an opinion about it.
I sure these foreign governments have opinions about other foreign elections too, is this bad also?
I watched the French elections, and listened in on the debates, as well as saw a really good interview with Sarkozy on Charlie Rose (which convinced me he was going to get the nom). I just think some people are interested in international politics, it's neither here nor there really.
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