MorseCode

Random Writings on Just About Everything.

Thursday, June 03, 2004

A Question for Conservatives...

American conservatives often have a severe antipathy towards other actors on the international stage, be they states or multinational organizations like the UN. If outright nationalism is a large factor in their politics than that's understandable. But many conservatives try to frame it as an "old world" vs. "new world" argument, where everyone else is just a washed up old power and the United States is the force for a newer, better world.

The American exceptionalism inherent in this argument seems to be an expendable commodity, however, and the international perception of the US today is that we're behaving exactly as the "old world" powers did in the past. How do you reconcile the fact that the perception of exceptionalism abroad is destroyed by the US supposedly acting out how exceptional it actually is?
OK. I Lied.

I said last week I'd be posting more frequently, and hopefully daily. Hasn't really happened, but I'm slowly ramping up, so check the site regularly and I'll have at least a little something up on most days.