strength and sentiment

Submitted by myth (Germany), Jun 30, 2010 at 03:03

I am afraid Kinzer gets it the wrong way around. It appears the source of strength of Turkey is very much opposing, or in the case of Iran even threatening, the US and its prime ally Israel and getting away with it. According to Kinzer creating and preserving "pro-american sentiment" is a goal of US foreign-policy and so is promoting the turkish model in the muslim world. To me, protecting the USA first and their allies ,which includes myself, comes before any ambitions to find new allies or changing the middle-east for the better. Two years ago an american student talking to me assumed that with cold-war won the Germans probably want the american military to leave. Well, regardless of anti-american-sentiments in Germany nobody wants that, quite the contrary. With the exception of the left party who sent two MPs on the Gaza-flotilla recently. I conclude US foreign policy should leave the pro- or anti-american sentiments to Hollywood or whoever. Even the British enjoy their anti-american sentiments over a glass of beer, but when the time comes they will support the USA. Probably this looks unintuitive to many americans. Last sunday in football was a good illustration of a similar situation: Naturally England hates us in football. But when we win they become our supporters. Why ? Because they see us as as the better team to beat Argentina on saturday on their behalf, and to England that is what matters the most. Quite in the same fashion many, not only in the western world, want the US as the better team to take out Iran's nuclear facilities.

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