soft power vs military might

will those with destructive power ever learn that it does not pay in the long run?

The US enjoyed much respect and support in the world. It has a huge economy: 4.5% of the world's population consuming 25% of its resources. This is both good and bad.

Good, bcause this consumption means someone produces and gains by selling to the US.

Bad because:
1) the world's resources are consumed faster than they are
generated or replaced.
2) in order to maintain and enhance its standard of living,
the US manipulates governments, which causes resentment.

A certain level of interaction and influencing is inevitable and necessary, but agencies and media devoted to control the world, that is too much for the world to digest.

Why can't this influencing be through soft power?

Some of US publications are wonderful when they talk of or highlight universal human values.
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Why is a trait of overdoing things present in the US:

When I review US history, this is the thing that strikes me. The early settlers killed off the Red Indians as if the previous inhbitants had no rights.

They made the bison almost extinct, for no reason at all.

The slaves were treated as sub-human.

In the WWI and WWII, the emphasis on armaments and killing other humans is astounding.

The high point of this madness seemed to be VietNam.

We thought that the US had become mature with the pullout from VietNam, and the recognition of China.

Is it that the pullout left a wounded pride among some segments of the US.

When the USSR was defeated, it offered another opportunity for the US to demonstrate its soft power. Instead it showed its penchant for maneuvering and its military might.

In the wake of 9/11, the US media again manipulated the world opinion to seek an attack on Afghanistan. The world was with the US then.

Fortunately, the world grew wiser when the US went unilateral in attacking Iraq.

Will the next President, whoever he is, continue this suicidal mission?

Will Kerry look for support from Europeans and others to make it a multilateral attack for the control of Muslim lands, thereby continuing a conflict that threatens to be perpetual.

Will he continue the manipulations of the world by the CIA, which will also have the same effect of creating and maintaining resentment among common Muslims?

Or will he project what is good in the US?

Because Bush is going to continue with his policies of confrontation, war and manipulation.

The good thing about Bush is that he is incompetent, so he will fail.

I wish the US would spend less on building up and projecting its miliitary might, and more on research, on education, on medicare, and on well, soft power.

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