Saturday, June 25th, 2011
Stephan: The rest of the world is developing the view that the U.S. is basically a muscle bound bully. As this report notes: 'it's worth noting that in a 2010 poll of citizens in 27 countries, 53 percent of respondents said the EU had a positive influence on the world, while 46 percent felt the same about the United States.'
But, more than that, whenever I research this trend I am always struck with what could have been done if we had chosen to make ourselves leaders in all the areas that really matter: healthcare, education, environmental remediation, technological innovation, infrastructure, childcare, and elder care.
Last week, during his final European visit before retiring, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates blasted our NATO allies for spending too little on their militaries.
‘The blunt reality,