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Even if it's just a distraction, countries usually distract from their internal problems by targeting un-allied countries as the source of their problems. For e

Even if it's just a distraction, countries usually distract from their internal problems by targeting un-allied countries as the source of their problems. For example, when China has some internal issue, they start complaining about Japan or Taiwan. When Iran has problems, they threaten the US. When countries start threatening those who aren't their active enemies, it's a first step into normalization of the rhetoric and building up support for inhuman actions. Iraq wasn't even in anyone's mind until suddenly America needed to invade and "liberate" it just for some president's personal ego, and the overwhelming majority became convinced that Iraq was involved in 9/11 (it wasn't) and steamrolling the entire country was doing the world a public service (it wasn't)[1]. Nobody was even thinking about Greenland or Denmark in the US until someone with a big ego started talking about liberating it. Now the same political faction that had 89% support for the Iraq War is starting up the same thing. [1] https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/03/14/a-look-back-at-how-fear-and-false-beliefs-bolstered-u-s-public-support-for-war-in-iraq/ https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/03/14/a-look-back-...

mnky9800n 2y ago
I think it’s a bit unfair to say Iraq wasn’t in anyone’s mind. Clinton spent the 90s bombing Iraq after coalition forces invaded to stop the Kuwait invasion in 1991. And saddam hussein was regularly declaring America as moral enemy of Iraq. Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11 but I feel like he was regularly discussed throughout the 90s and so was easy to inject back into the conversation in 2003. This is really different than randomly saying that Canada is Americas hat or Greenland should be liberated. All that being said, Americans grew up, long before Donald trump entered the political discourse, learning that they live in the greatest country on earth and that everyone wants to move there and become American. This is a core component of Donald trump’s political message of make America great again. So why wouldn’t the average American be accepting the idea that other places want to join in on the fun? Democrat or Republican most seem to buy in to American exceptionalism.
- ArnoVW 2y ago
  Having personally lived through the 90's and 00's, I can confirm that: * Sadam Houssein (and Kadhafi, and Khomeini) regularly moaned about the US * everybody was indeed aware of them * and everyone ignored them * for most people outside the US, the second gulf war was perceived a transparent lie One look at the ridiculous "coalition of the willing" that GWB managed to drum up makes that clear. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_of_the_willing_(Iraq_War) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_of_the_willing_(Iraq...

mnky9800n 2y ago

I think it’s a bit unfair to say Iraq wasn’t in anyone’s mind. Clinton spent the 90s bombing Iraq after coalition forces invaded to stop the Kuwait invasion in 1991. And saddam hussein was regularly declaring America as moral enemy of Iraq. Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11 but I feel like he was regularly discussed throughout the 90s and so was easy to inject back into the conversation in 2003. This is really different than randomly saying that Canada is Americas hat or Greenland should be liberated. All that being said, Americans grew up, long before Donald trump entered the political discourse, learning that they live in the greatest country on earth and that everyone wants to move there and become American. This is a core component of Donald trump’s political message of make America great again. So why wouldn’t the average American be accepting the idea that other places want to join in on the fun? Democrat or Republican most seem to buy in to American exceptionalism.

ArnoVW 2y ago
Having personally lived through the 90's and 00's, I can confirm that: * Sadam Houssein (and Kadhafi, and Khomeini) regularly moaned about the US * everybody was indeed aware of them * and everyone ignored them * for most people outside the US, the second gulf war was perceived a transparent lie One look at the ridiculous "coalition of the willing" that GWB managed to drum up makes that clear. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_of_the_willing_(Iraq_War) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_of_the_willing_(Iraq...