How can you reconcile such a monstrous lie they told in Iraq with the idea that they could ever be trusted again? That cognitive dissonance broke my belief in the West entirely.

Millions died on a lie. Justice would be execution for every official involved. They are doing it again, but once again most won’t realize it until years after.

[–] sunbeam60@lemmy.one 0 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I can understand that because you feel duped, you find it hard to trust anything the US says today.

I didn’t feel duped, though. It was clearly an insane lie meant to justify a neocon, hawkish invasion of Iraq and Bush Jr was desperate to “finish the job” and get a pat on his back by Bush.

The world is super complex. Not everything the West does is good - there’s plenty of examples in history, less from present day but definitely cases (Iraq is an awful example). Similarly, not everything China does is bad, far from it. I’ve travelled there extensively and work with Chinese citizens every single day. I have no hate for Chinese people - count many as my friend and they’re both hard working and fun to be around after work (once you get to know them). There’s plenty of things to like in China. And once you get to know Chinese people well, they will tell you story after story about the insanity inside their own country - that they are well aware of. They laugh at their own government.

So I’m not confused about the balance of things. On balance, the West is a far better influence on the world and care-taker of its citizens than China is. And let’s not get started on the Russian state, which is an oligarchic kleptocracy driven to violence by its isolated dictator.

[–] Redcat@hexbear.net 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

On balance, the West is a far better influence on the world

NATO has bombed and destroyed not just Iraq, but the majority of the middle east. It runs an occupation force today in Syria. NATO didn't just destroy Iraq, it colonized Iraq's agriculture, which is now dependent on imports from NATO while it feeds pasta to Texan schools. NATO has transformed Libya into an open air slave market, flooded Syria with weapons, backed Israeli Apartheid, blockaded Iran, couped the government of Pakistan, and caused a famine in Afghanistan on their way out by sanctioning yet another people. The little girls whose rights NATO countries cared about so very much then starved to death. Not for any reason, not to achieve any objective. But only out of spite.

NATO has couped and propagandized it's way across Latin America. This is not ancient history. It is current and ongoing. It claims outright that they won't stop blockading Venezuela until it's oil is owned by american shareholders. So not only bombs, deaths by starvation and lack of medicine are perfectly fine for the organization. Just as Syrians and Chinese people have no right to territorial integrity, Cubans have had no right to ally with whoever they want for generations.

NATO runs an actual and currently existing Colonial Empire across Africa. One of it's leading voices, France, owns the infrastructure, finances and natural resources of dozens of countries, assassinating its way into total dominance. Then it gives some scraps back to those colonies, and calls it 'Foreign Aid'. Berating the poors for being so dependent. Once challenged, NATO has yet again chosen to starve people to death with trade wars on basic infrastructure, food, and medicine.

I'm Brazilian. When the Bolsonaro family was literally calling Chinese monkeys on twitter the Chinese were remarkably patient. The USA berates us for being 'anti-american' because we aren't grateful of how Biden chose not to coup us last year. As if it's not humiliating enough that a fascist in this country can draw on the history of America and outright ask the CIA for help staying in power. There are now US troops supporting the coup government of Peru. Right after coup attempts in Bolivia and Venezuela. We now watch as high ranking US government officials float the idea of invading Mexico, under the cover of a war on drugs. After years of waging it in Colombia and Central America. But we all know it's because Mexico nationalized stuff that Americans don't want to see owned by Mexicans.

There are no fucking standards for comparison. There are no regions of this world which do not witness current and ongoing hybrid wars waged by NATO countries at the behest of the USA.

The West is a defensive alliance between warmongerers. The Americans at least have the decency of wearing their thirst for blood on their sleeve. Democrat or Republican, they've all had their share of wars they enjoy supporting. It's the Europeans who will cry on TV while sending volunteers to Iraq and Afghanistan.

I only pray for any people who is targetted by NATO's eye of sauron. Or has to make do with sharing a border such an evil collection of governments.

[–] PosadistInevitablity@hexbear.net 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I understand that the US is the among the most evil and genocidal forces in human history.

I came to that realization through being duped.

That is a very important distinction. None of this comes from some petty sense of slight.

To consider the US a better influence on the world than China is not only laughable, it is obscene.

The US exterminated an entire continent of innocent people as the opening act to their crimes, and have only added to that list with every passing year. Never have they meaningfully repented or cleaned house from those acts.

It would be as if Nazi Germany survived for three centuries.

The US carried out nuclear murder to make a political point. The US butchered and destroyed the lives of billions in the global south and they aim to do the same to China next.