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It isinteresting to see the responses that my posts have had. I am not going to try and go through them one by one and respond - the time difference means that by the time I get back on line, I have got over 20 posts in this thread alone to catch up with.
However, a few points.
I should study the events surrounding WWII? I have a degree in Modern European History - specialising in Germany betwee 1920 and 1950 - but thanks for the tip.
Iraq is in violation to the conditions set down by the UN. This does not change the fact that the USA jumps the gun. The UN has not yet supported military action in Iraq, yet the USA has already committed to it.
The USA is the first country to support the UN when it suits them - but when the rest of the world supported Kyoto (sadly with the exception of Australia) America was didn't want to know about it.
I agree that the atomic weapons used on Japan prevented the deaths of tens of thousands of americans - they also caused the death of millions of Japanese.
I am not pushing any agenda, nor do I consider myself anti-American. I do strongly disagree with nations (or individuals) forcing (or attempting to force) their cutural, religious and economic belief structures on another person or nation. Unfortunately America seems to be one of the main offenders for doing this (have a look at Cuba).
Certainly I glossed over some points (or even failed to mention them) but that is human nature - especially when debating a hot topic. My point in all this conversation has been to try and show that America is not always on the side of the mighty, and that its opponents are not always wrong. Obviously some people here have mistaken this for an attack on America.
One suggestion for all of you is to not just base your view of the world on the American press. One of the great advantages of living in Australia is that we draw on a large multicultural base, and our media gets input from various international sources. Rather than just looking at CNN, NBC or Fox, why not watch the BBC Word Service, or Deutsche Welle. Believe me, the way that these news services broadcast events is very different to the slant put on it from American broadcasters.
Finally - as a couple of people here have already said - history is subjective. My father was born in Germany in 1943, and the history that he learnt in high school was radically different to the history that I was taught (and that many of you would have learnt). However, this does not mean that it is wrong - simply different.
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