What is Trump's problem with Cuba, the tiny island nation off our Florida coast? If it is human rights and communism, aren't China and Russia FAR worse in human rights terms, BY A HUGE MARGIN!?
Is it all humanity, or mostly whites, or mostly Americans . . . that are the most aggressive? WE have more guns per person, the biggest military, more cops killing people, more crime as we put more people in prison, our political tribalism might lead to a hot Civil War . . . How do we measure and judge our aggressiveness?
"Is America the most aggressive country in the world?"
https://www.quora.com/Is-America-the-most-aggressive-country-in-the-world
"People always over exaggerate the belligerence of the United States. We have a more complete military and economic advantage over the world than any other country in any point in history. We've had this status since the end of World War 2. You know what we didn't do after our ascendancy? We did not try to build a globe spanning empire by invading weaker states [Sorry, have to interrupt this naivete. We did not expand our control right after the war because we did not know, or recognize our power. Our power has corrupted America, and now we are not the "ethical" country we hoped to be. Dwight D. Eisenhower, a simple, good an, was the President and he warned us of the Military Industrial Complex, the larger version of the NRA gun lobby. We have corrupt politicians and excessively rich, and powerful egomaniacs now, in 2019, e.g., Coke brothers, who lead us to aggression all over the world and want to limit all entitlements, Medicare, Social Security, etc., because they do not like to pay taxes and believe government is too big.]. We did not desire to take over the entire world, or subjugate other powers. You know what we did do? Rebuild Europe-you know those countries that actually did try to take over the world- and create a n...(more)
Xiande Danteng, Idea Implementor (2015-present)
Updated May 4, 2017
There is absolutely no need for U.S. to be aggressive anymore. It has already been the most powerful country in economy and military in the world. The only thing that U.S. has to keep working on is taking out whichever country that gets to be the second in economy or military. And U.S. is really good at that. Really. [Yep, "take them out" is what we do, one way or the other. Whatever it takes!]
Gabrielle Koetsier
Answered Apr 23, 2017
In my opinion, America has stuck its nose into a lot of other countries’ business, but it’s not even close to being the most aggressive country.
First of all, others have already mentioned this but North Korea is always threatening to defeat the Evil USA, and constantly performing (and flubbing) nuclear tests to show off their strength. (Meanwhile they’re starving their citizens so they can build nukes…) [So how does tiny North Korea threats compare to USA wars all over the world?]
Secondly, Russia. Unfortunately, Russian imperialism has been slowly growing under Putin’s influence. Obviously we know about the rigged referendum in Crimea, but Russia took Chechnya, too, b...(more) [Oh, and the US in Afghanistan for 15 years is not aggression? And now tariffs and sanctions against all our allies is not aggression?]
Matthew Trapani, Clinical Oncology
Answered Dec 25, 2017
I originally posted this in a reply I read but it seems to fit in my opinion.
Wow that’s such a loaded response (saying yes and yes we are and get involved in ugly affairs) and frankly you’re probably correct to a large degree. We certainly have thumbed our noses in very questionable campaigns. However, and it’s a very big “however”, can’t one logically assume it’s a MUCH safer place despite these errors? The fear of global nuclear war is all but gone. [Not under Trump . . . He has suggested nukes for South Korea, Japan, and secretly allowed Saudi Arabia to get the technology to make nukes. Nucear war is possible, VERY possible under Trump.] Replaced with small, albeit violent and dangerous terror campaigns. Both horrible of course but it’s not like ISIS WASNT an idea before…all o...(more)"
OK, I offer another view, one Americans, with our natural nationalist bias, will not like, and certainly debate and argue against.
"Bully nation: Is America hardwired for war & aggression? (POLL)"
Robert Bridge
Robert Bridge is an American writer and journalist. Former Editor-in-Chief of The Moscow News, he is author of the book, 'Midnight in the American Empire,' released in 2013.
Published time: 9 Mar, 2017 13:26
Edited time: 9 Mar, 2017 18:22
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/379994-bully-aggression-nation-war-us/
"Watching Washington attack one sovereign state after another since the collapse of the Soviet Union prompts the question: Are we Americans behaving out of some inherent aggression, or is this just old-fashioned empire building by a global superpower?
Growing up in America is by nature an isolated event. Inhabiting a vast and diverse landmass with oceans for bookends, and Canada and Mexico as barely-tolerant neighbors, we are just secluded enough to possess a cultural superiority complex that makes us think everybody on the planet envies us."
More.
"Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, summed up the Obama regime in the Guardian:
“While candidate Obama came to office pledging to end George W. Bush’s wars, he leaves office… the only president to serve two complete terms with the nation at war.
Benjamin admits that Obama reduced the number of US soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, but that is not the same thing as promoting peace. Obama “dramatically expanded the air wars and the use of special operations forces around the globe. In 2016, US special operators could be found in 70 percent of the world’s nations, 138 countries – a staggering jump of 130 percent since the days of the Bush administration.”
Micah Zenko, a member of the influential Council on Foreign Relations, reported that in Obama’s last year in office, the US military “dropped 26,171 bombs in seven countries.” Zenko explains, however, that estimate is “undoubtedly low, considering reliable data is only available for airstrikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya, and a single ‘strike,’ according to the Pentagon’s definition, can involve multiple bombs or munitions.”"
My man Obama got caught up!
"Instead of lambasting US foreign policy and presidents, which has got us nowhere, I’d like to consider a question – or rather start a conversation - that will be impossible to finish here: Are Americans a naturally aggressive people? Before you bark out, ‘F*ck NO!’ consider this startling fact: The United States has been at war 93 percent of the time – 222 out of 239 years – since 1776. Yes, from fighting Native American Indians (who would certainly have been branded 'terrorists' had the dubious term existed then), Mexicans and assorted European colonial powers, America is rarely at peace, and least of all with itself. During one of its many expansionist moods, it even attempted an invasion of Canada in 1812, before limping back home momentarily humbled.
Incidentally, among the numerous wars the United States has been involved in over the last two centuries, none can compare to the death toll when Americans fought against themselves. In the Civil War (1861-1865) some 620,000 Americans lost their lives, a toll that surpassed the number of Americans killed in World Wars I & II combined (521,000)."
The conversation is essential, but I have no doubt most Americans do not accept any fault for violence in the world. STILL, WE HAVE TO ADMIT WE FEAR EVERYONE, EVERYTHING, AND WE ACT ON OUR FEARS. WE CREATE CRISIS, AND ATTACK.
"Conclusion: Global Threat Level" [Translation: as long as we can say we are threatened, we can give more money to DoD to waste.]
Oct 4, 2018
"America and its interests face challenges around the world from countries and organizations that have:
Interests that conflict with those of the U.S.;
Sometimes hostile intentions toward the U.S.; and
In some cases, growing military capabilities.
The government of the United States constantly faces the challenge of employing, sometimes alone but more often in concert with allies, the right mix of diplomatic, economic, public information, intelligence, and military capabilities to protect and advance U.S. interests."
As I read this common conservative opinion / perspective I see what I expected - we are CONSTANTLY under threat, so that means we will always be aggressive. My former Air Force LTGEN friend says we have to be ready all the time to fight and win.
I think America is more than ready to fight, but we do not always win even tho we have as much military might as the next 11 countries combined. Perhaps we need more military? lol!
We'll have to cut entitlements like Medicare, education, food stamps, social security, but that is OK, at least the country will be "safe."
"Why is America the Rich World’s Most Extremely Violent Society?"
Or, The Unique Problem of Extreme American Violence
Go to the profile of umair haque Feb 15, 2018
https://eand.co/why-is-america-the-rich-worlds-most-ultraviolent-society-2d9f0fa084c6
"You know by now maybe that school shootings every 2.7 days are a uniquely American development. Yet they’re not really the uniquely and singularly gruesome American phenomenon — violence itself is.
Here’s a fact that might shock you. Did you know that America isn’t just the most violent nation in the industrialized world — but an off the charts extreme outlier”? Iceland is the world’s most peaceful society. Canada is the world’s 7th most peaceful society. America is the 94th.
You could even argue that America’s one of the world’s most violent societies, period, rich or poor. It’s 94 out of 160 — of which the last forty or are barely hanging on as societies. It’s developed unique and weird forms of soft and hard violence, like school shootings, opioid epidemics, people dying of a lack of insulin or basic medicine. Meanwhile, murder, domestic violence, extremism, “paramilitaries”, hate crimes, white collar crime, even, more than likely, the kinds of systemic harassment and abuse that we now see revealed by #metoo as normal in America, are often at, sometimes beyond, poor country levels.
The question is: why is such extreme violence normal in America? Not just at the level of laws or norms — but for what deeper reason America seems not to ever developed nonviolent ones."
Americans will offer rationalizations to all the facts of our violence, but the truth is, we are violent and a aggressive nation / people, not every single one of us, but most of us.
The NRA lobby is an excellent example of American violence.
"What would happen in other rich societies if extreme violence, like school shootings every 2.7 days, became some kind of gruesome norm? I can all but guarantee you that people would march down to their capitols, simply remove their government, and install a better one. They protest over little things like taxis. Their kids being massacred?"
The NRA supports school shootings, period! Americans are OK with the NRA, so they are OK with the slaughter.
"Americans prize a self-image of themselves as Stoics — compared to emotional Francophones, or depressive Northeners. But this self-image has a downside, too. Their attention span is measured in hours. It isn’t a week before they’ve forgotten whatever latest scandal is put before us. In America, we forget. We go on.
That is what strength means in America. Stoicism. Forgetting. Putting up with it. Gritting our teeth and just going on. Bearing it — even if it is unbearable. Is that really strength? To be able to put up with every fresh monstrosity, and still smile a rictus grin? Most of you will agree, now that I have pointed it out, that such a thing is not strength at all. It is only pride, hubris, or even weakness maybe. Or folly. But where did such a mistaken notion of strength come from?
Stoicism is the most American thing of all, isn’t it? It’s in our DNA, Stoic pride disguising itself as strength. Maybe it comes from a nation of despised people building something new. Maybe it comes from a New World that had to be conquered and subdued, with atrocity and genocide and slavery — because to do that, our forefathers had to give up their moral souls. Maybe, in the end, it doesn’t matter where this ideal of strength came from. Maybe it only matters that it is here in us now."
Americans have short memory for their aggressions.
