A fresh and unique perspective on U.S. foreign policy and how it has managed to transform people's healthy view of the U.S. in to something dim.
Ask any outsider (foreigner) about his/her opinion on U.S. foreign policy, and chances are they would tell you the U.S. has been, by and large, unfair, at best and terrorist-like, at worst.
As an American, this could come as an unwelcome news to the non-objective individual, and would force you to say, "They just can't stand us". Well, that is the easy way out.
The fact is, myself, as an individual who lived in the U.S. for a decade, i can honestly tell you that this accusations by outsiders is not born out of thin air.
A quick example would help here. I was born in Ethiopia and i came to the U.S. for a college education, some 10 years ago. When i first arrived in the U.S., more than anything, i found the people to be some of the most friendly people i have met.
This view that i have carried was shared by many foreigners. The U.S. is a land where you can have the closest chance at "equal opportunity", more than any other nation in the world, and this was awe-inspiring to someone like me who had journeyed here from a third world African nation where corruption and short cuts were prevalent.
But what has changed since i first arrived here? where let's use my nation as an example here again. Under the "Bush Doctrine", the world was put aflame. The either "you are with us" or "against us" plicy had neghboring countries across the world taking positions.
In the 10 years since i left Ethiopia, my nation had invaded its neighboring country Somalia, and in the process had managed to create the biggest Humanitarian crisis in Africa, surpassing the Darfur debacle in less than 2 years.
All of this was in the name of chasing a "handful of so-called terrorists". Now since the war is done and the Ethiopian troops had left Somalia, we know that there were really not any terrorist organizations or individuals that posed serious threat to anyone.
So if you are a Somalian who were left destitute and homeless, ask yourself, "Do i have the right to hate the U.S. for supporting and financing Ethiopia?". If you are not an extremist yourself, the answer an easy, "YES!"
This sort of wrong policy implementation across the globe had managed to create this dim view towards the U.S.
And, of course, a clear thinking person should also be quick to differentiate the U.S. government and policy makers, from its warm and welcoming people.
The governement and media has also this unspoken arrangement where the media hardly takes on its duty obligations of reporting the news. An American individual would have to make a concerted effort to dig through the news to access such injustice that is being carried by the U.S. government across the globe, and under different appealing policy names that is being used interchangeably. (Nation-building, and regime-change are those that come to one's mind)
So, one should ask himself/herself, "Are people really hating us for our burgers and french fries?"
I thought i would discuss this today in the hopes of engaging each other, and sharing the different perspectives that we are being forced to create in our minds.
We are all God's children, and i am afraid God would hardly take sides when it comes to mayhem.
Aren't you glad Bush is gone? If you are not, you probably would have been if you lived in anywhere but the U.S. during his presidency.
Take it from an Ethiopian, who enjoys America and appreciates its people.
Author of Abehsa Bunna Bet, An Ethiopian news site.
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