Anti-Americanism on this board

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To me this crosses the line...not wanting us to go to war with Iran is a legitimate view- wanting us to lose a war is Anti-American

If the U.S. is an agressive part, I can't support the U.S.

I do not support agressors. Period.

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True. Operation Ajax, Operation PBSUCCESS and Chile 1973 all had "US interests" in mind too. For that matter these actions can backfire terribly as Ajax proved.

Indeed. Even if we are going to accept "riason d'etat above all" positions, there were many blunders, miscalculations and backfires to make "always a national interest" argument pointless.

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Why would I support my government, when their actions are harmful?

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That's what would happen to any Pole criticizing the Prime Minister online!

Baroque frontier tradition lives on!

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I really dislike the sunni-shiite theory of international relations that has been popularized by some people on here. Yes, religious divides play a role in the positioning of actors in the Middle East. No, Saudi Arabia isn't aching to join Israel in a war against Iran.

The reason Israel was strongly asked to stay away from any participation in 1990/1991 war against Iraq was basically that most of the Arab countries, that were part of the coallition (both governments and population) would not stomach this.

Saudi leaders know very well how it would appear among their own people if they join foces with Israel against a fellow muslim country (shia or sunni, still).

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Clarence is absolutely right. Every god damn last thing done by the CIA and the military is done for the benefit of America.

Or in the case of Guatemala, for the benefit of United Fruit Company.

Making fruit cheaper in the United States. The interests of the USA and the UFC were one and the same.

Which justify overthrowing a democratic government which gave voting rights to Indians and replacing them with a dictatorship which took that right away?

Silly. USA = UFC

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Clarence is absolutely right. Every god damn last thing done by the CIA and the military is done for the benefit of America.

Or in the case of Guatemala, for the benefit of United Fruit Company.

Making fruit cheaper in the United States. The interests of the USA and the UFC were one and the same.

Which justify overthrowing a democratic government which gave voting rights to Indians and replacing them with a dictatorship which took that right away?

Cold War politics. Which, as the child of Russian immigrants to the US, I find perfectly justified.

"My people are under opression, so it's OK to opress another innocent people"?

Dude, you're a child of Russian immigrants. I'm a child of the people who actually lived under communism and neither me nor any member of my family, since they saw opression on their very eyes, would say such a thing.

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Well, Vosem, your family was fortunate to be able to go West. Mine was not.

For example, my grandpa's father rootted for years in the Stalinist jail, barely escaping the noose. The family was left destitute.

One of my grandma's brothers was shot by the secret police while innocently riding a bike. Another spent a considerable time in prison, enduring daily torture. Another family was ruined.

And guess what: neither my grandma, nor my grandpa, would possibly agree with what you've just said.

And why? Perhaps because they actually know what oppression is.

Nazi opression? Communist opression? United Fruit opression? What's the difference for those who are suffering?

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Yes, some people saying 'America is always bad' annoys me, particularly when they are clearly Americans, and even more particularly when (this is a common thread) they believe anyone who doesn't think so is a dumb redneck. I've gotten into a real-life fistfight over this. opebo (look, BRTD, I don't capitalize opebo at the beginning of a sentence!) is the exception; it's part of his persona, which is very entertaining.

You've gotten into a fight over this?

Man, pick better fights.

Come on, Xahar. He was serving his country, just like Mitt Romney did, when he was a missionary in France and got into a fight with some Vietnam War opponents.

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Unlike Mechaman, I accept no apology, Vosem. When you post something, in appearently serious tone, you must assume the people will take this seriously. Beside, if it was supoused to be a joke/irony, it was in a poor taste.