United States; Love us or Hate us Essay Example for Free

United States; Love us or Hate us Essay Not only is the United States one of the most culturally diverse places in the world. It is also one of the most economically viable. It continuously touts its principles of freedom and democracy as an example for all the world’s nations. It is one of the most charitable countries in the world providing private funding to millions of aid organizations in third world countries. Not only that but technological research in the United States has brought advancements to every field from medicine to space travel (Garcia, 2007). So why it is so many countries hate the United States? This topic will attempt to answer this question. The September 11th, 2001 attacks acted as an eye opening experience for the American public. The perception of American superiority in the world was challenged that day create a shock which reverberated around the world. The international reactions that followed the attacks showed the American public that anti-American sentiments did not simply come from inconsequential groups of people. There were several countries in the third world that hated the United States. One of the major criticisms leveled against the United States is their stance on foreign policy issues. The first and foremost of these is their involvement in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Arab world believes that American support both financial and military to Israel is not only hypocritical it is also instrumental in the continued oppression of the Palestinian people. While Israel affords a status of a friend to the United States, their neighbors are constantly being bombarded by Israeli military might and being acknowledged as terrorists. The United States is also accused of pursuing this foreign policy time and time again not in the interests of world stability but rather for their own self interests. During the Bush administration Saddam Hussein was continuously demonized as an agent of Al Qaeda and acting against the interests of the United States. However what the government conveniently decided to forget is that the American government was responsible for putting Saddam Hussein in power in the first place. This is also true for in the case of Afghanistan and the Taliban during the height of their enmity with Russia. And now they blame the very governments they put in charge for terrorist attacks on their soil (Chomsky, 2001). A poll conducted in 2002 found that the population in 35 of 42 countries had a generally favorable view of the United States. The poll also showed that while citizens in many nations still find America favorable, they do not perceive it as favorably as they did 2 years ago (Roberts, 2002). Certain studies have shown that hatred of the United States is actually taught in educational institutions (Livshiz, 2001). However this does not excuse the fact the bias the United States has shown for years in dealing with international situations. While several countries such as China and Russia have several nuclear warheads, the United States imposes sanctions on countries like Iran for pursuing nuclear technology for energy purposes. While the United States invades Iraq for the sole purpose of spreading democracy, they also turn a blind eye to the genocide that is currently occurring in Darfur. It is inevitable that Anti-American sentiments will continue while the United States remains one of the most powerful and influential countries in the world. Until the United States accepts that it has to use this power responsibly, the world will continue to see its actions as a reason to hate them. References Chomsky, N. (2001, October 12). On Why Various Countries Hate the US. (R. Siegel, Interviewer) Garcia, V. F. (2007, May). Why does the world hate the USA? : A politically correct approach. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from Hispanic American Centre for Economic Research: http://www. hacer. org/pdf/Garcia00. pdf Livshiz, D. (2001, October 17). Viewpoint: Hatred of U. S. stems from hate in schools. Retrieved May 13, 2009, from The Michigan Daily : http://www. michigandaily. com/content/viewpoint-hatred-us-stems-hate-schools Roberts, J. (2002, December 4). They Love U. S. /They Hate U. S. Retrieved May 13, 2009, from CBS NEWS: http://www. cbsnews. com/stories/2002/12/04/world/main531762. shtml