by James Glaser
August 31, 2004

I don't think America has to be in a popularity contest, but if we are going to try and lead the world, some countries should kind of like us. I always thought that an effective leader would have the respect of those he or she leads. America has lost the respect of much of the world.

Just this week, neither President Bush nor Secretary of State Colin Powell could go to Athens and attend the Olympics, because Greece was afraid to have them. Even without them, there were protests, because people thought they were coming.

What do you think is going to happen, when terrorists start to kill Americans, just because they are Americans? The line between citizen and Government official is starting to blur. The longer our government is hated world wide, the closer that hate will come toward you and me.

Right now American tourists can go just about anywhere, but I wouldn't feel too good about going to Muslim countries. If you think about it, there are dozens of countries we have attacked in the life time of the people who live there.

It always seems if you can't depend on anyone else, you still have your close neighbors sticking up for you, but we have lost them too. Canada and Mexico can no longer be counted on for help.

About the only way we get any help now, is if we pour money into a country and buy their officials. You have to know that those countries that have troops in Iraq are bought and paid for by us.

Not only do we pay for all their equipment and the pay their soldiers get, you have to believe that these foreign government officials make some big money too. Why do you think the CIA budget is a State secret?

Most countries in the world today do not follow America's lead, nor do they come right out and try and help us where they can. Before the end of the Cold War, countries would help which ever side they thought was best for them. Many countries were afraid of the Soviet Union and they tried hard to help us. Turkey would be a good example. They were with us in Korea and let us have Military bases in their country. Today, even Turkey is no help to us.

George Bush has decided that we can do it alone and we can, kind of. We can attack anybody and win the Military part of a war, but we can't stay and try and bring peace, because that takes way more troops than the fighting does and we don't have that number of troops.

We can continue to buy friends, but as happened with Spain, the people of a country can change governments and all the money we threw at Spanish officials was a waste. Sometimes you can't buy everyone off.

Local communities survive and prosper when neighbors work together and that is true in the world at large. George Bush hasn't figured this out yet, because he has been able to buy friends throughout his life, but that isn't working for the USA anymore.

We are hated by many countries. Yes it is true, we will be able to buy help for the next few years, but we are spending money we don't have and we can't keep that up forever. America has to change and we have to get back our real friends.

That would be Mexico, Canada, France, and Germany. At one time those countries wanted to help us, because we were on the same side. Under George Bush, we have told the world that we don't need them, and the truth is that we do.