When Norway followed its progressive stances on many issues, including the Kyoto Protocol, with a stirring speech, the U.S. State Department called the Norwegian Ambassador to the U.S. in for a dressing down.
The U.S. is seen as a schoolyard bully, resented, feared, snickered at, and disrespected behind it's back.
Shortly after September 11th, Americans were told by their leaders that "They hate us for our freedom." "They" meant Al Queda. But here "They" is, well, almost everyone. They hate us for our arrogance, and for usually getting our way.
The U.S. does have some company. On June 5th, World Environment Day, Australia celebrated the occasion by announcing it would not ratify the Kyoto Protocol. The announcement came after Australia had joined other countries insisting on watering it down.
This news came out at a mega-cocktail party at one of the fanciest hotels in Bali, when the enraged Political Director of Greenpeace, Remi Parmentier, scheduled to speak in support of the UN Environment Programme instead used his time to warn Australian Prime Minister John Howard that he had "a lot of explaining to do."
The U.S. is seen as a schoolyard bully, resented, feared, snickered at, and disrespected behind it's back.
Shortly after September 11th, Americans were told by their leaders that "They hate us for our freedom." "They" meant Al Queda. But here "They" is, well, almost everyone. They hate us for our arrogance, and for usually getting our way.
The U.S. does have some company. On June 5th, World Environment Day, Australia celebrated the occasion by announcing it would not ratify the Kyoto Protocol. The announcement came after Australia had joined other countries insisting on watering it down.
This news came out at a mega-cocktail party at one of the fanciest hotels in Bali, when the enraged Political Director of Greenpeace, Remi Parmentier, scheduled to speak in support of the UN Environment Programme instead used his time to warn Australian Prime Minister John Howard that he had "a lot of explaining to do."