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As GOP Pushes Tax Giveaways for the Rich, Sanders Launches 'National Tour to Fight Oligarchy'
(www.commondreams.org)
this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2025
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Canada got its independence later than the US and its geography is WAAAAY worse the US. For the most part, Canada is uninhabitable. Its 20 times larger than Spain, yet has a smaller population. But i am sure that a good constitution would have totally negated this.
Mexico, again, had a worse geography and an economy that was entirely dependent on exporting stuff to Spain. Their economy remained in a feudal mode of production until the Porfiriato in the late 1880. While America won its independence in 1783 and after that, only fought one more war against any former colonizer on its own soil, Mexico's war of independence took 11 years. And even after its conclusion, Spain tried for 8 more years to retake the country. And do not forget the civil wars. Imagine the american civil lasted from 1785 to 1880. With interruptions of course, but essentially a constant state of war.
Now combine a weak, constantly warring neighbor to the south and a thinly populated, crown colony to the north and you get American Easy Mode.
Re: Haïti: I wonder why the country that had to take on the massive debt accumulated by their colonial overlords never took off. And maybe, just maybe, getting an slapped with an Embargo by your largest trade partner (because you cannot have a successful slave revolt next door) contributed to never developing your economy. But surely its just the lack of a """great""" constitution that held these countries back.
Um yeah. I'm sure that the US just happened to get the most perfect spot in the entire world and becoming the most successful country in the world had nothing to do with the way we ran our country. /s
"most successful country" American exceptionalism at its best :)
The way you run your country and the constitution are two different things.
Do you really think that your "exceptional republic" got you the spot as the most dominant economy in the world?
Its imperialism. America dominates the world not because of the first amendment or the electoral college, but because of a willingness and ability to backup its economic interests with its military. Without having to fear an invasion.
"most successful country" is a simple fact, not an opinion. You can call it exceptional if you want. Its not the word I used.
That only started a month ago with Resident Trump in the white house. America was very isolationist for most of its history up to WWII when we had to bail out Europe (2nd time) and Asia. And they we had to stay at our own expense to bail out Europe a 3rd time in the cold war.
Most successful at what?
Very isolationalist? 1848 - Invasion of Texas and Mexico, annexing both Texas and California. 1893 - Backed Coup in Hawaii, then annexed it. 1899- Invasion and Annexation of the Phillipines Between 1903 and 1925 the US "intervened" so much in Central America on Behalf of its banana companies, that we just call this period "The Banana Wars". Several enacted regime changes for the sole purpose of maintaining their grip on Central American Bananas. 1912 - Invasion of Nicaragua, followed by 21 years of occupation. 1915 - Oh there's Haiti. Invaded in 1915, then occupied for 19 years. During that time, the US redirected 40% of Haiti's State Budget towards debt repayment, stifling any development. 1916 - The very next year, the US invaded the Dominican Republic, occupying it for 8 ,ears and selling of large amounts of sugar plantations to itself.
Isolationism looks different in my opinion.
And after the second world war, this continued, as you said, in the cold war. From which America massively profitted. 1949 - Syria elected a President who nationlizes oil, he gets overthrown by a military junta who immediately allows America to extract Syrian oil reserves and to build a pipeline. 1952 - Iran elects a left prime minister who nationalized oil, he gets overthrown and Iram regresses from a constitutional monarchy to authoritarian monarchy, which immediately allows America and Britain to extract Iranian oil. 1954 - Guatemala elects a left president who does a land reform, he gets overthrown by military junta who redistributes the land to the United Fruit Company. The first attempt to do that failed in 1952.
1959 - Nam. You know about it. 1964 - Brazil has a left president who gets couped by american backed forces, leading to 21 years under a militqry dictatorship. That supports American efforts to coup neighboring countries. 1965 - US backs a coup in the congo, leading to 26 of brutal dictatorship. 1965 - The indonesian military starts a genocide, encouraged by the US-Ambassador, who says to "crack down hard on political opponents". Half a million people die, the US had knowledge of this the entire time and actively supported the military. 1973 - Chile elects a left president, who nationalises its natural resources. America completely shuts down the chilean economy with the express goal of an overthrow and then supports the Pinochet Coup. Leading directly to mass murder.
So you think little shit like that is why we are the most successful country in the world? Europeans did way more interventions/colonizations. How come they aren't more successful if that is the reason?
We did? Because I am still waiting to get back our $13 billion plus interest we spent just at the very beginning. This article says the money that Americans gave away "was a key factor in reviving their economies and stabilizing their political structures" of other countries.
https://www.britannica.com/summary/Marshall-Plan
[Marshall Plan, (1948–51) U.S.-sponsored program to provide economic aid to European countries after World War II. The idea of a European self-help plan financed by the U.S. was proposed by George Marshall in 1947 and was authorized by Congress as the European Recovery Program. It provided almost $13 billion in grants and loans to 17 countries and was a key factor in reviving their economies and stabilizing their political structures]
The entire world had knowledge of that stuff. How come you think the entire rest of the world is totally helpless and only the mighty USA can do anything to help other countries with their internal problems? Is it because the USA is the most successful country in the world? We both know that is exactly the reason why you are thinking the US is responsible for every single thing that happens in the entire world.
Nope. I know about Korea in the 1950's and how the USA saved South Korea from the North Korean dictatorship. And I know about how in the 1960's the USA tried to repeat that in Vietnam. Would you rather live in South or North Korea? Your welcome.
Little shit? Incidents like Nicaragua led to America dominating both North and South America. I wouldnt call the invasion of other countries to boost ones economy little shit. Why isnt Europe more successful? Hm, maybe, just maybe, they were, before World War One. You know, when they did all of that shit while projecting their power across the World. But then two massive wars disrupted the entire continent. And while most countries in Europe were affected by these wars, America profitted. Massively. WW2 literally ended the great depression.
Yes you did. Why do you think western Europe aligned with the US after the war? Why do you think the Marshall Plan was even enacted? Because you guys just really really liked democracy so much? No, the Marshall Plan secured Allies in Europe and fixed the economy of US-Trade partners. It also stopped european countries from going red and is probably the last time an american intervention led to conditions improving.
You kindly left out the part where the US explicitly encouraged these killings and financed the upcoming dictatorship that was led by the very same perpetrators.
South Korea, at that point, was also a dictatorship. But okay, thank you for "selflessly" saving South Korea. That should you a free pass to install dictatorships in Iran, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Guatemala and so on.
Face it. None of these invasions where ultimatively done becuase the "Constitution set up the americans to stand up for the free world" or something. All of this is about projecting power. Every sucessful invasion led to an advance of US business interest. And that's what makes you, for the moment, the most dominant power in the world.
I am not saying that all americans are evil or some shit. Or that id rather have another world power (maybe after you elected Trump i preferred you would not have this power). I am glad you liberated us from the Nazis. Shame tho, that you can't do that for yourself right now.
But to claim that all of this happened because of your constitution is nonsense. To claim, that the US only became imperialist after Trump's victory is nonsense. To claim that America did not profit from propping up friendly governments, all over the world but especially in Europe, is nonsense.
I could go on, but you get the point. These are btw only the times american effected a regime change and not just a policy change by either gunboat diplomacy, the CIA or an Invasion.