Gunther,
I think there is a fundamental misunderstanding in Europe about America and Americans.
First, do not judge us by our politicians - which is probably a universal truth, but for some reason Europeans see our President as a reflection of us as people. As you have no doubt observed from this BBS, this is very far from the truth - we range from violent agreement to virulent despisal of our government.
Next, this notion that we sit around all day planning world domination ... maybe our government does, but most Americans are too damn busy working 10 hours a day, 50 weeks a year, with an hours commute each way. So most Americans get quite taken aback when we're accused individually of being war-mongering imperialists ... when we just finished spending the last 4 weekends filling out our damn tax forms and haven't even had time to be lied to by CNN and Fox News.
Next, America was, is, and probably always will be a reactionary country. We're quite happy Taking Care of Business until someone fires a shot across our bow. The Lusitania, Pearl Harbor, 9/11 ... you wake the giant and no force on earth will stop the prettythang-kicking to follow. To the European mindset, this is no doubt hard to understand - how we can sit back and let crap happen until it happens to us. But that's our nature more or less since after the War of 1812. But hey, Russia's paranoid about their extended border with Europe - we all have our quirks.
Next, understand how this despisal of the US looks to Americans. When Europe needed us in WW1 and WW2 - we were there. During the Cold War, when Europe needed a huge standing army and piles of money to repel the Red Menace - we were there. When any country needed foreign aid - we were there. And then the Cold War ends - and all of a sudden it's "F U Americans." How do you expect us to react? Europeans pay higherr taxes overall - but at least the money you pay in taxes pretty much is used for your own country - a big chunk of ours gets shipped off to help countries who "wouldn't piss on us if we were on fire."
Next, the French. The venom towards the French started when they wouldn't let us overfly their airspace to drop a surprise on Gen. Ghaddafi in Libya. If they'd just said: "No, we can't send troops to Iraq" it'd have been OK I think. But they opposed us and more or less were the focal point for a coalition against us. To the American mindset this was tantamount to treason. We bled for them in two World Wars, and stationed thousands of troops to defend them during the Cold War - and this is our thanks? This attacks the core of the basic American generousity - that we are willing to help countries oceans away. But we don't like getting kicked in the balls for our trouble.
Lastly, American arrogance. Yeah, we're a snotty bunch at times - not worse than the French, of course.
But hey, in 230 years we went from being a bunch of yokels throwing dog poo at the Red Coats to the mightiest nation on the planet. Not bad. Like it or not, the Free World depends on our military and our economy. We know it. You know it. Deal with it. But don't expect us to beg for anyone's friendship - to the American mindset if we're presented with a situation where no matter what we do we'll get spit on for one reason or another, we pretty much stop caring what other people think. If these fences get mended it'll be from positions of mutual respect.
I hope this makes sense to you.
