Friday, December 20, 2002
ITS ALWAYS ABOUT U.S.: Tom Engelhardt argues that the U.S. is largely responsible for Roh Moo-hyun's victory, though this is obviously not what the Bush Administration intended. He sees this as part of a larger trend:
Relations with the U.S. and the rising tide of anti-American sentiment certainly played a role in Roh's victory (and it may have done so in Germany as well, though I know far less about the German case) but it was far from the only issue in the election. But right-wing proponents of America's superpower status and presence in the world and left-wing critics of the same share one thing in common: its always about us. Which is true enough . . . except when it isn't . . . which is most of the time.
After all, this is the second unwelcome administration the Bushites have inadvertently managed to elect. Gerhardt Schroeder's Social Democratic Party squeaked by in Germany on a vehemently anti-Iraq war policy. My hopeful question is: Can the Bush administration single-handedly turn back what seemed to be a global electoral right-wing tide? Or put another way, there is hope out there beyond our shores
Relations with the U.S. and the rising tide of anti-American sentiment certainly played a role in Roh's victory (and it may have done so in Germany as well, though I know far less about the German case) but it was far from the only issue in the election. But right-wing proponents of America's superpower status and presence in the world and left-wing critics of the same share one thing in common: its always about us. Which is true enough . . . except when it isn't . . . which is most of the time.
