I wouldn't say laughingstock, but when you're an elephant in a world of mice, the mice get nervous, even when the elephant is kindly disposed towards them.
There's an article in the latest Atlantic Monthly that is kind of related to this. I don't go as far as the author does in his theme, which is that a renascent Europe will eventually come to eclipse the US (I have a hard time seeing how that's going to happen), but it's an interesting article nonetheless, and it's online: http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/11/kupchan.htm Incidentally, on the same site are a series of articles, including a very insightful one by James Fallows, on what would happen *after* an Iraqi war. It's the cover article, in fact, showing Uncle Sam straining under the weight of a smouldering "51st state". There's also a hilarious comparison of "movie presidents" (Alan Alda in Canadian Bacon is rated the worst). Stacy Smith wrote: > We are surely the laughingstock of the world and also many Americans, > including me. > > Stacy. > > At 01:13 AM 11/07/2002 -0700, you wrote: > -- Marc A. Schindler Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada -- Gateway to the Boreal Parkland “The first duty of a university is to teach wisdom, not a trade; character, not technicalities. We want a lot of engineers in the modern world, but we don’t want a world of engineers.” – Sir Winston Churchill (1950) Note: This communication represents the informal personal views of the author solely; its contents do not necessarily reflect those of the author’s employer, nor those of any organization with which the author may be associated. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ==^^=============================================================== This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aaP9AU.bWix1n.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^^===============================================================
