A voice from Sweden

by Norm 20 Replies latest jw friends

  • proplog2
    proplog2

    This is a quote from an editorial by William Pfaff (syndicated columnist) Date was around 1996

    IS `GLOBALIZATION' JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR IMPERIALISM?
    The "globalization" of national economies, so enthusiastically promoted by American government and business today, as during the past decade, amounts to an ideological form of Western imperialism to which the rest of the world is compelled to react. It now is meeting significant opposition, increasingly expressed in political as well as economic terms. The pattern is familiar. The center of Western power--the U.S. --attempts to impose upon others its own vision of how the world should be ordered. A workshop, mainly composed of senior economic historians, convoked at Harvard by the Luxembourg Institute for European and International Studies, recently asked why some countries are rich and some so poor. It found a part of the answer in the fact that the modern world is largely of Western invention, as are the industrial techniques for making a society rich.
    A Russian at this Cambridge meeting described the last few years in his country in terms of national humiliation. First came the collapse -- deserved, he agrees--of the Soviet system and of the doctrine which had governed Russia's actions since 1918. That was followed by a chaotic and caricatural economic Westernization, producing robber-capitalism and inviting Russia's exploitation by Western interests. At the same time many ordinary Russians have experienced falling living standards, and a certain demoralization of Russian society has taken place.
    He spoke of the times when Russia was isolated, and pursued its own course, as the best and most confident periods in its history. One may wonder if that is really true, but the sentiment expressed is very important. Once again an unconsidered and largely self-interested foreign intervention is generating negative consequences among thoughtful people, and not merely among demagogic nationalists--although the latter profit from this.
    The West's aggressive promulgation of its own ideas and values has in the past produced both good and some extremely bad results. World wars and universal ideologies are characteristic Western products. Other cultures have been undermined and destroyed because of the West's thoughtless conviction of the natural superiority of its own ideas. Material success has produced arrogance.

  • Norm
    Norm

    Rex,

    You said:

    Where would you be today Norm? Terrible, wicked America saves your fat behind from being a target or a prole (who works for the good of Stalin or the Fatherland) who lives in a one room shack.
    You are an ungrateful jerk.

    America SHOULD abandon the rest of the world to it's own fate.

    Except, 99% of the population are not agreed with your own skewed views....and you know it. Just remember this: YOU would not be on here whining without the freedom given you by loyal patriots in the Christian republics that you so despise.
    Hypocrite!

    Rex

    Your ignorance and lack of the most basic thinking skills seem staggering. What has WW2 got to do with this?
    If I should use this kind of stupid reasoning, you should thank the French for being able to spout the crap you do and whine about all those who doesn't buy your insane claptrap about your Monster God.

    Read this and weep:

    http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle/convergence.html

    Norm.

  • Norm
    Norm

    To all of you others who have commented.

    This is just an interesting article I thought it would be worth sharing with non Swedish speaking people. I do not share all of his views. I do however agree with him that American/West European/Israeli lives seem to be much more worth than Arab, Asian in short brown peoples lives. I agree with him when he wonders why this is so?

    For my own part, I am also quite sure that starting to bomb somewhere in the middle east or Afghanistan and kill some more people will only make this problem worse, much worse.

    Norm.

  • TR
    TR

    A REAL voice from Sweden

    This is from a post of mine from a few days ago:

    This is an email from a relative in Sweden to my cousin Jay in Wisconsin:
    Dear Jay,
    > The whole world, with very few exceptions, is showing solidarity with the
    > American nation.Sweden is no exception. As I believe that American news
    > media are rather reporting from London, Bonn and Paris than from smaller
    > capitals like Stockholm I give here some personal impressions.
    > Here is now a wave of new internationalism in this formerly very "neutral"
    > country. The Prime Minister (Labour) has expressed strong feelings of the
    > need for all countries to participate in the fight against terrorism.
    "The
    > democracies must destroy terrorism, otherwise terrorism will destroy the
    > democracies".
    > Most people agree that we, also in our own interest, must participate much
    > more in different international actions, also military and with
    > intelligence cooperation.
    > Parliament has had a special session of Remembrance this afternoon with
    the
    > King and Queen and the Government present. To-night services in many
    > churches all over the country.
    > Flags have been on half mast all over the country to-day.
    > But there are also warning voices against treating Muslims in Sweden as if
    > they all share a guilt for the attacks. Further, counter attacks from USA
    > must be directed towards those responsible, not against innocent people.
    > The association of Muslims in Sweden has made a very very strong statement
    > against those guilty for the 11 September attacks.
    > Well, this is just to give you and other American relatives a feeling of
    > sentiments here.
    > Warm regards
    > Finn

    TR

    The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
    —Edmund Burke

  • Tina
    Tina

    'the hassled and frequently mass murdered of the muslim world...''''
    ???
    funny he didn't mention the hassled and frequently murdered women who live under Muslim regimes.
    Afghanistan for example. And the Taliban.They did unfortunately get US support,and now we look and see that what evolved are freedom fighter thugs and fanatics that throw acid on unveiled womens faces, beatings in the streets,and have no other interest than their own power .
    Before the Taliban took power women in Kabul were 40% doctors,70%teachers and 50% civil service,as well as thousands of female university students. Taliban represents a modern and extreme version of Islam that was previously historically unknown to Afghanistan.

    Like Abaddon stated he would have been clever if he made a real valid point. It's about injustice. It's about Women who can no longer receive an education,banned from work,forbiddon to leave home without the burkha and accompanied by a male relative. Medical care denied,even in life threatening situations. I remember when Amnesty International declared the entire female population of Afghanistan prisoners of conscience. Let's talk about who the truly 'hassled' ones suffering daily under such regimes are.....Tina

    Carl Sagan on balancing openness to new ideas with skeptical scrutiny..."if you are open to the point of gullibility and have not an ounce of skeptical sense-you cannot distinguish useful ideas from worthless ones."

  • fodeja
    fodeja
    A REAL voice from Sweden ...

    Right, TR. Let's just declare all those who disagree with us un-real. They don't exist. Or if they do, something surely must be wrong with them. They probably hate us.

    f.

    p.s.: No, I don't agree with the article in most points. I just don't understand why (WARNING: sweeping generalisations ahead) Americans, with all their overflowing pride in nationality and their belief in America as the free-est and mightiest nation in the world, have such a deep craving to be loved by everybody on this planet.

  • LDH
    LDH

    UR,

    I'm surprised you forgot the Armenian genocide at the hands of the Turks! )wasn't that 6 million?)

    Anyhow, I can kind of wee this guy's point. He thinks Sweden has no involvment in what's happened, and I can understand that.

    However, Sweden, if you'll remember, also claimed to be politically neutral during the Third Reich and only some time ago did it surface that they literally had kept/hidden/stolen millions from Jews who had their property siezed. The Jews sued for the return of their property (yes, they had to sue.)

    Anyhow, watching a show on TLC last night really made the issue clear about whether the rest of the world needs to be involved.

    They interviewed a high-ranking government official in Nairobi, Kenya.
    This man was reminiscing on the fact that during the bombing attacks on the US embassy, Osama bin Laden was willing to sacrifice 288 Kenyan lives to kill just 12 Americans. Over 5,000 were wounded. That doesn't count the Tanzanian embassy bombing.

    Now what the hell did Kenya or Tanzania have to do with the US other than they had a US Embassy on their soil?

    This man clearly understood that the whole world must be concerned because all citizens are in danger, not just white Americans.

    Norm, feel free to forward the above point to this misguided soul.

    Lisa

  • CPiolo
    CPiolo

    A European (British) counterpoint to Norm's article:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,554291,00.html

    CPiolo

    P.S. Sorry, but your going to have to cut and paste the address to link directly to the article. I think it has something to do with the commas used in the address.

    Edited for P.S.

  • Satanus
    Satanus

    I, for one would be interested to know which public relations firm/s the US is using to manage this war. W's father and the kuwaitis used hill and knowlton, one of the largest pr companies in the world, to rouse public opinion in their desert storm. You can read about it here:

    http://www.flinet.com/~politics/iraq-war/gulf-war.html

    S

  • Norm
    Norm

    Hi Cpiolo

    You said:

    A European (British) counterpoint to Norm's article

    Just for the record, it isn't MY article.

    Norm

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