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Originally Posted by Nodrog
You said "America is not the Great Satan, but rather just its current incarnation". This seems to imply that you view America as being morally equivalent to previous empires. I'm now asking which specific ones you think are seriously comparable to the US.
Your whole post is based around the claim that America is just doing 'what any country would do'. But it seems to me that America's "empire building" is not really on the same scale as (eg) Britian or Rome, nor is there the widescale slaughter that would be likely if a country like Soviet Russia or China were the dominant superpower. So, what is your basis for suggesting that 'any superpower' would act like America?
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Different strokes for different folks.
America is using its power and influence to try to shape the world into one that benefits the US above all others. If any other countries were in the same situation they would do the same sort of thing. that is the nature of the beast. I used the phrase 'Great Satan' as that is a phrase popular with opponents of US foreign policy (especially in the Middle East). My point was that even if America was removed then another superpower would take its place.
Of course methods change but that depends on which country it is and the ideology behind it.
I don't think moral comparisons are of any use. 'America is better than Saddam Hussein as he killed hundreds of thousands of his people and America only killed 25,000'. Once you start making moral comparisons it can become justification for horrors that aren't
quite as bad as someone elses.
Different powers use different methods for different reasons under different conditions.