Certainly, that's the way it was back in World War II, and when the Cold War was in full swing the same thing was happening, but right now the only country that could be a threat to the US, China, isn't really aggressively exerting influence in the foreign sphere. Its projection of power is largely soft (economic) power that follows, more or less, free market concepts. The only places it projects actual military power is in some sea border disputes like the Spratlys.
As a result, there is no power or superpower to counterbalance the West, and so the incentive to support dictatorships is gone. In fact, the incentive to support dictatorships is gone in part because that pseudo-competitor tends to support them.
In particular, the old style dictatorships are giving way to hidden dictatorships and stated democracies. Fewer and fewer states have the 102% turnout, all voting for the President for life, and more have a "party of power" with an opposition that can't win or a one-party system with lots of decision makers, or at least groups of people holding power.
As a result, there is no power or superpower to counterbalance the West, and so the incentive to support dictatorships is gone. In fact, the incentive to support dictatorships is gone in part because that pseudo-competitor tends to support them.
In particular, the old style dictatorships are giving way to hidden dictatorships and stated democracies. Fewer and fewer states have the 102% turnout, all voting for the President for life, and more have a "party of power" with an opposition that can't win or a one-party system with lots of decision makers, or at least groups of people holding power.
But I can't figure out in what way you mean to disagree with me.
The incentive among the anti-American crowd remains, because America is still throwing its weight around. If there was an existential threat on the other side, the Right would find dictators to support, providing they could demonstrate that they stood in opposition to that threat.
To some extent we're still still doing that against less significant threats like Al Queda - we're just not going to go to the wall for the Saudis in the same way we did for the South Koreans, say.
Ok, I'm out to enjoy New Orleans as best I can while I'm here. Take it easy.
Hollywood has the best moral compass, because it has compassion.
Why does the Left support dictators?
- 01/09/2011 02:37:25 AM
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Do you have anyone besides those two?
- 01/09/2011 02:52:19 AM
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Well, he also mentioned Michael Moore
- 01/09/2011 04:34:03 AM
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I ususally do not respond to threads like this, for many threads like this are done by unreasonable
- 01/09/2011 12:21:10 PM
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I'm not trying to say they are mainstream left.
- 01/09/2011 02:39:18 PM
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I would agree currently that is true (if you are talking fringe left vs fringe right)
- 01/09/2011 03:59:45 PM
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As I mentioned in my reply to Legolas, 40 or 50 years ago it was mutual hypocrisy.
- 01/09/2011 08:01:23 PM
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don't confuse the far left with the vast majority of americans who support people like kucinich
- 01/09/2011 04:53:14 AM
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"the vast majority of americans who support people like kucinich" LOL thats funny *NM*
- 01/09/2011 01:19:12 PM
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Tom, leave the absurdist and patently false dichotomies to trzaska. *NM*
- 01/09/2011 11:43:35 AM
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Because there aren't any good right wing oppressive regimes for the Right to get behind these days?
- 01/09/2011 12:53:32 PM
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You should read Postwar. If you haven't already.
- 01/09/2011 06:18:55 PM
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No, there is at least one more explanation
- 01/09/2011 07:05:11 PM
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Yes, anti-Americanism is a very significant part of the equation. *NM*
- 01/09/2011 08:02:05 PM
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Outside America, yes, definitely. He seemed to be talking about inside the US though.
- 01/09/2011 08:26:27 PM
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well anti-Americanism runs about as strong in the American left as it does in European left
*NM*
- 01/09/2011 08:51:34 PM
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*NM*
- 01/09/2011 08:51:34 PM
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I was using US examples but not trying to limit myself to the US.
- 01/09/2011 09:57:57 PM
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I wanted to keep things confined to the present day.
- 01/09/2011 07:58:15 PM
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Hmm
- 01/09/2011 08:49:54 PM
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when you combine that with America's pro-British stance it explains why the Brits seem conflicted 
*NM*
- 01/09/2011 07:51:41 PM
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*NM*
- 01/09/2011 07:51:41 PM
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America has a pro-British stance? I'm thinking that'd be news to most Brits. *NM*
- 01/09/2011 08:27:33 PM
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I'm thinking that'd be news to most Brits. *NM*
- 01/09/2011 08:27:33 PM
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Well like most things the Brits think they know about the US they would be wrong
- 01/09/2011 08:48:47 PM
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Or they just see things differently.
- 01/09/2011 10:15:20 PM
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But the Brits do need us, and we don't need them.
- 02/09/2011 06:01:10 PM
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Of course it's obvious. That doesn't mean they have to like it, or can't resent it. *NM*
- 02/09/2011 06:14:37 PM
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The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
- 02/09/2011 01:25:40 AM
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I think your historical argument is flawed
- 02/09/2011 05:57:00 PM
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Possibly
- 02/09/2011 10:37:19 PM
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Apologies, I was sure I responded to this when you first posted the thread.
- 07/10/2011 05:55:27 AM
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