| My dear Young Californian! The US has shown remarkable restarint in exercising its power! Esprcially historically! Espesially in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. From that time on I think my description you've quoted is just to the point. |
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Exceptions prove the rule. There's no question that at times the U.S. has used force as a means of imposing its will. I already stated as much. Yet given the full extent of American military and economic might, I stand by my assertion that the United States has shown much restraint in using it. Again, I know the list of questionable foreign policies and outright mistakes and misdeeds by the U.S. is long and bloody, but it's near impossible to be a great power in the world and not make such blunders.
One has to look at the whole picture, not a handful of incidents. Compare the track record of any other great power existing prior to or after the founding of the United States, and I think Americans come out looking favorably. Just consider some of the many horrifying regimes that have held power in countries so critical of the United States and how they might have used its power. Many of the arguments and standards used to criticize policies of the United States are based on principles popularized by Americans both on the social and political level. Furthermore, many of the specific arguments against the U.S. are first made by Americans themselves (Noam Chomsky being a good example). One of the reasons so many critics of the United States can be so vocal in their derision is the country's tendency to air its dirty laundry for all to see. It is undoubtedly the most scrutinized nation on Earth, and none but a handful of countries subject to the same would look more commendable.