ex-idaho

We all remember the days and weeks following the attacks on 9-11. The massive outpouring of solidarity and support from around the world. Even nations that were once our sworn enemies were pledging support and resources to assist us in our fight against terrorism.

What happened?

It seems that that support was short lived. GW Bush has managed to destroy worldwide support for the US and its agenda in just over a years time. We have gone from being the victim of brutal attacks to what most of the world considers the greatest danger to world peace.

The Bush foreign policy has managed to alienate our oldest allies and deepen rifts between many other nations that we had sensitive relations with. His policy of preemption may sound great to Mr and Mrs middle America sounds like a major threat to everyone else.

As we speak the rest of the world is working hard to formulate a plan that will change the future of world diplomacy towards us for a very long time. Economic and military cooperation will no longer be the norm. Instead we will see new alliances being formed in opposition to US and its interest.

The fact that the media has completely ignored this story astounds me.

Godbert

Exactly, the conclusions that the US seems to have drawn from 9/11 are:

1) we need more religion in the world

2) we need to kill more foreign civilians and concentrate on arabs

I really can't think of a way how the whole situation could have been handled more stupidly from day one, but nevertheless Bush enjoys ridiculously high support at home while in Europe he recently passed NK and Saddam in a biggest-threat-to-world-peace-poll.
The last few days german papers have been full of american politicians insulting Germany and even repeatedly threatening bilateral measures against Germany - all that because we have a different opinion - what a salute to democracy by the US.

I guess nobody wants to hear it. Even lots of the "critical thinkers" on this board seem content regurgitating US government press statements so how much more is that the case for the average person.

emphryio

You would almost think the people behind Bush didn't have a clue.

But they do. Keeping the people afraid is very helpful in manufacturing their consent. Keeping the attention always on the next great threat is very good in distracting them from other issues such as the new tax cuts for the extremely rich / corporations. And of course, they really don't give a damm if other countries don't like us.

No, the people behind Bush aren't remotely stupid. Just dripping with evil.

But the media's behavior really shouldn't astound you, Ex-Idaho. Surely you understand how that works?

The corporations basically control the government. And the corporations ARE the media. Those journalists that would be more critical simply never get promoted or get demoted.

Those that make it, understand that they would be seriously attacked if they ever really got critical to any degree.

So they offer criticisms and tough questions only within the narrowly acceptable bounds and mostly just relay the govenment propaganda to the people. To do more would be professional suicide in a number of ways:
1. No more access to the government official/s.
2. The disfavor of multinational conglomerate corporations that either own the media outlet or contribute advertising dollars.
3. And the "disfavor" of multimillion dollar conservative think tanks who will take the offensive against:
a. The journalists
b. The journalist's media outlet.
4. Of course there is also simple laziness, that might play some role (shrug).

but the type that would even contemplate doing something to offend these organizations have mostly (if not completely) been weeded out by the time they reach the upper echelons of the mass media anyway.

But I'm sure Ex-Idaho already knew that basically. Things are just looking unusually bad right now. (It's getting very hard to watch TV news.)