Fred Thompson on Foreign Opinion...

Sticks & Stones

By Fred Thompson

It bothers Americans when we’re told how unpopular we are with the rest of the world. For some of us, at least, it gets our back up — and our natural tendency is to tell the French, for example, that we’d rather not hear from them until the day when they need us to bail them out again.

But we cool off. We’re big boys and girls, after all, and we don’t really bruise that easily. We’re also hopeful that, eventually, our ostrich-headed allies will realize there’s a world war going on out there and they need to pick a side — the choice being between the forces of civilization and the forces of anarchy. Considering the fact that the latter team is growing stronger and bolder daily, while most of our European Union friends continue to dismantle their defenses, that day may not be too long in coming.

In the meantime, let’s be realistic about the world we live in. Mexican leaders apparently have an economic policy based on exporting their own citizens, while complaining about U.S. immigration policies that are far less exclusionary than their own. The French jail perfectly nice people for politically incorrect comments, but scold us for holding terrorists at Guantanamo.

Russia, though, takes the cake. Here is a government apparently run by ex-KGB agents who have no problem blackmailing whole countries by turning the crank on their oil pipelines. They’re not doing anything shady, they say. They can’t help it if their opponents are so notoriously accident-prone. Criticize these guys and you might accidentally drink a cup of tea laced with a few million dollars worth of deadly, and extremely rare, radioactive poison. Oppose the Russian leadership, and you could trip and fall off a tall building or stumble into the path of a bullet.

The hundreds of demonstrators the Kremlin has had beaten and arrested in the last few weeks alone, we are told, were not pro-democracy activists but common criminals — like world chess champion Garry Kasparov. Demonstrating without a permit is a serious crime and, luckily for the Kremlin, it turns out that pro-government youth groups seem always to have permits for rallies at the exact times and places that anti-government protesters gather.

Another group that seems to be having trouble with permits is the media. Newspapers and television stations that aren’t smart enough to know that America is the enemy and that things are great in Russia can’t seem to get their paperwork in order. It’s some sort of IQ test, I guess.

President Vladimir Putin, though, shows no sign that he feels defensive about his remarkable string of luck. He knows who’s really to blame for “meddling” in Russian “internal affairs.” It’s the United States.

He’s lambasting us for yielding too much power. One example of this excessive power is the missile defense radar system we want to install in Poland and the Czech Republic — to give the free world early warning of a missile attack by terrorists or a rogue nation like Iran. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence that the Russians have been supplying Iran with both nuclear and missile technology while using their U.N. veto to block sanctions that would force Tehran to back down. Regardless, we’re clearly at fault, he says, for putting a defense system close to Mother Russia.

So I wouldn’t worry too much about the criticisms we receive. We make mistakes and at times the “carping” may even be on target, but it seems to me that we ought to look at a lot of the complaints as a badge of honor.

God I love this guy

He's one of those people where you can vividly hear his voice as you read his screeds.

God, what a load of trite. This article is the biggest playground squel I've read in ages. Oooooohh, dem nasties around the world call us names so we must do so in return . Is this what international politics has come to? Pot shots where noboyd listens to anyone else?

Couple of points.....

Enough of this BS already. It was 60 fucking years ago Anyone would think it's the same French people in power today the way Thompson talks. If that's the case they look bloody good for their age!

If you need to make comments like this you're not half as big as you think. Mature people do not have a need to remind themselves of this.

Oh, how stunningly simplistic. You just "pick a side". I look forward to Thompson's views when China picks a side.

Which "team" is that Mr. Thompson?

Ah yes, the "terrorists" at Gitmo, let's not forget about them. Men who have been detained without trial and tortured in one of the most draconian farces of "justice" to have existed in the past century. Hell, just this week a Moroccan chef was released after four years. Four fucking years it took the US to establish that he hadn't done anything wrong. The crime he commited that caused his detention? He knew someone who told a group of American soldiers that he was a disreputable. I mean shit. Lot's of evidence there pointing to terrorism

Come on Fred, let's be careful who we're labelling terrorists.

Russia gets no less, and in fact probably gets more, international criticism than the US, which is well known. So what's you point Fred?

Tit for tat, no? I though that was wnat international politics and strong nations were all about.

Yes, you do that Freddy boy, even though all your article does is complain about other countries in a childish "he said, she said" manner and gives no proper answer to the criticisms made against the US. Badge of honour indeed.



What a load of tosh. If this is how simplisticly presidential candidates are looking at their foriegn policy I'm shitting my pants.

What a fucking looper. He seems to have little relationship with reality.

One of the interesting things about Wordforge is hearing views of the US from other countries. I'd never have thought Mr. Thompson's sentiments would be viewed with such animosity from residents of what is commonly considered our strongest ally. But I suspect, despite a common language, much is lost in translation. Mr. Thompson expresses opinions that are far from uncommon.

He's not saying France owes us from WWII, more that France is our ally only when France needs help.

Is it a common perception that the US gets more credit than it deserves for WWII?

Oh and nobody thinks the same people are in power that were in power sixty years ago.

This bit is completely accurate.

It doesnt bother me. Maybe its a media thing.
I'm more concerned with problems here 1st than another countries.
But then I vote independent anyway. Hopefully someday we'll get a US president and not a world president.

I wouldn't exactly call it animosity. More simple disgust and shock. When your closest ally begins to seriously question American attitudes does that not suggest that maybe there is some creidbility to the questions raised?

Just as it is a well known fact that the US is only Britain's ally when it needs something from us, such as support for Iraq. Suez, Falklands, Northern Ireland and so forth - the US saw no interest so it didn't help. Same principle so I don't think the US is in any position to question France for acting in its own interests.

Not so much that it gets more credit than it deserves, but that it claims and thinks it's entitled to more credit than it deserves. When Europeans have this rammed down our throats it shows disrespect for the millions who died in Europe, for our grandparents who had to live in a warzone (unlike any generation of civilian American alive today)and, most importantly, for the non-American allied troops and resistance fighters who played just as much a role in winning the war as America did.

Then how does Thompson's point about bailing out the French have any relevance?

Nor did I raise issue with it.

Love how the Yanks say the French are only an ally when they need help, i seem to remember them helping you lot out, not that long ago.

He wasn't referring to our closest ally. Of course that is only my opinion.

News to me but fair enough. Yet I never would equate the US/Britain relationship with the US/France relationship.

Yet the US is never afforded the same consideration.

Same perception, different details.

Ah, now that is understandable. And that is what I suspected was the basis for defending France.

Again, France is only with us when they need us was the point.

Nor did you agree with it.

Really though, I was supporting that opinion, not quoting it to refute anything you posted.

Revolutionary war?

For one thing, there were French troops in Afghanistan in 2002.

I soooo look forward to the election. If Fred gets yall's drawers in this much of a bunch, it'll be a start.

It's Bush speak in a more coherent language...


Exhibit A:

Translate Bush: "With us or with the terrorists" to:

Yeah, that shit is just retarded or scary, it doesn't seem like many of these people are able to grasp the concept that wanting to go about things a different way does not equal not accepting a problem exists or wanting to deal with it.

Afghanistan is the perfect example. They were openly harbouring Al Qaeda, refused to give them up, and so there was a lot of international support for going in.

With Iraq there was a lot of debate over how much they were involved in terrorism, and questions of how the search for wmd's should be conducted, and so, surprise surprise, there were different opinions on how it should be handled.

Such as when France begged you to help them in their war in Afghanistan?

Wow....it's so fun watching everyone get all spun up at someone running for president who basically says he's not going to kiss the rest of the worlds collective ass'. You do know that you all getting so worked up just makes Americans like a particular candidate even more...




All the non-US people hating Bush and supporting Lurch....errr Kerry, helped ever so much, didn't it?

Not our fault you people are so determined to fuck yourselves up.

Yes. I think he'll be just fine.

Most of the same foreign policies as Bush, almost certainly carried out better, but none of the duncehat-ocity of the previous leader.

IOW, Europe still gets to hate us...perhaps even fear us, but without the mocking laughter

Um, I don't see anyone getting "spun up" at Thompson in particular, it's the whole "our way OR YOU ARE A DIRTY TERRORIST SYMPATHISER" attitude that seems to be spread throughout American politics at the moment.

This is a fucking discussion board, some brings up a discussion board we are going to, go on take a guess, that's right, DISCUSS IT. What Americans will do based on the opinions of us foreign folk doesn't really matter.

If anything, it's just amusing you saying that you are more likely to support a candidate based on some other people not liking his views, just shows how easily manipulated you in particular are.

But the reflexive anti-American bias is not evidence of easy manipulation and perception-over-reality group thinking.

Where the hell is the anti-American bias?

I like America, El Chup likes America, most of the posters on this board like America.

Disagreeing with parts of American politics isn't an anti-American bias, it's just that, disagreeing.

"Easily manipulated" is the target Republican demographic base. There's a reason that every poll out there shows FOX News viewers to be the least well informed people in the country.

You're just as bad jumping to the "lol the other political opinion is because they're dumb" arguments. It's all part of the same problem that seems to exist in American popular opinion of having a stoneclad opinion they can't dare question because it's not like anyone else has a good argument, they're just dumb and/or evil.

This week's word:

anti-American adj (1) expecting American Presidents to abide by the Constitution (2) expecting the other branches of the American executive to abide by the Constitution (3) wanting sane, honest men for the office of the American President (4) cf. patriot

What's the term for foreigners who think they know what America should be better than Americans? :flow2:

When you have hundreds of thousands of troops spread throughout the rest of the world, I don't think it's unfair for the rest of the world to have an opinion on your actions.

Do whatever the hell you want with your internal politics, but an American complaining about people from outside trying to influence their country is like a pot full of black paint that has been covered in soot and then placed in a dark room calling the kettle black.

Yes...I also believe that the United Nations should be done away with entirely. Perhaps the European Union too, but that's an external matter and none of my business

You put it much better than I could have

I didn't find anything particularly remarkable about the commentary, but the reaction to it is tugging on my heart strings.

I like the style of his writing. As I said, its as if he's narrating it just for me

Alas, as soon as he expresses his views on domestic matters, I'll be far less impressed.

But you nailed it...the glory (and the fun!) isn't so much in the action...but rather the reaction.

Interestingly, the bulk of it is about Russia, but all the barking going on is about the first couple of sentences