There’s a bit of good old multiculturalism. Mirko doesn’t mention Australia – where he lives and probably holds citizenship – but he is glad that Croatia is not on the hate list! Another one who can’t let go, apparently. I don’t give a damn what happens in, or what anyone thinks about, Scotland, Germany or England where my ancestors came from. That’s the difference between real Australians and “ethnics”, I suppose.

To be fair, while I agree with Murdoch he, as an American citizen, should not be telling Australia what to do

Nice try Mirko, but you need more than this effort. The latent anti-US streak in this country has now become more manifest and the sympathy and goodwill towards the Yanks following 9/11 has vanished, largely because of Iraq. We all possess 20/20 hindsight but the invasion was a mistake, in that they did not have sufficient troops to occupy, govern and reconstruct.

Nothing new there, I'm afraid - a program on SBS some years ago made by a French outfit found that their countrymen preferred German occupation to American. The only real success was the reconstruction of Japan, while the Marshall Plan helped a shattered Europe to its feet after WWII, the British were left without any aid.

While the Coalition and the ALP stress the alliance with the US, worry about the street. It's not a comforting thought.

Not to give a damn about what happens elsewhere is a recipe for disaster - unless of course you can live in a constant state of denial and pretend that globalism is all smoke and mirrors -

although I guess you do not have to care but you should not be surpised when say, in a sudden rush of blood, the Koreans do their best to absolutely crush the domestic car manufacturing market - or the yanks freeze us out of the world wheat market - or India makes mooving industry off shore even more attractive -

you name it there are any number of things that can happen elsewhere we should care about and take an interest in.

As for our sentiment towards the US - there are a few like A Bolt, Piers Ackerman et al that do really seem to subscibe to the infantile "you're either with us or against us rhetoric" -

anti US sentiment is expressed n contempt for the War, bully boy tactics like re arranging the swimming schedule for the Olympics and any number of foriegn policy gaffes - but having said that those sentiments aren't universal blocks of resentment - maybe in the heart land of the International Socialists - an organsiational minnow on the politcial landscape but the majority of people can be critical of what is wothy of criticism at the same time as recognise what is of merit -

It is only few infantile polemicists I mentioned above who see it as a mass movement of of anti US sentiment -

You forgot all about mentioning the Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny, didn't you!

You had it right the first time Mirko. "The decision by the US led “Coalition of the Willing” was an egregious violation of international law and has caused incalculable suffering to the people of Iraq." International attitudes towards the states plummeted more as a result of this, and actions like it, than due to any other issue. But you already know this.

"Making weapons and money are the two most competitive pursuits on earth". Yessiree. They're both unavoidably corrupting.

Look the average man in main street USA is a decent person with decent morals. However those in power are decadent and self serving. The invasion of Iraq was nothing about helping Iraqi people, it was a power play in the middle east and about energy supplies. The US political system is backed by money and you need mega dollars to win an election, that does not sound very democratic to me. The US is the country that has killed the most people since the second world war in the name of maintaining the status quo with them in charge. I think the idea is he who has the gold makes the rules and this unfortunately is how the world works.

I do not want the rest of the world to be like America, yes they are probably the best of a bad bunch but are still far from perfect and we as citizens of the world can do better.

BTW don't sell Australia short, we have achieved a lot in the world given our drawbacks and population.

The war in Iraq SHOULD dominate our views about the US. As it's crucial to the war against the global jihadists. And indeed--changing one word--America is the STRONGEST "show in town." Since only America, among all nations, can defeat this surge of Islamic barbarism.

See POWER POLITICS:"A Curse is Haunting The Leaders of Europe", October 11, 2006 http://power-politics1.blogspot.com