Right. That's why I always try to make it clear that I'm talking about the U.S. [as in "U.S. National Public Radio," etc.] If U.S.-based Ted Turner can drop the use of the word "foreign" in the usage at Cable News Network, the left can and should do better. Internationalism should be the watchword.
Unfortunately, however, what happens in the U.S. has a big impact on what happens in Norway or Bolivia, whereas in most cases the reverse can't be said. The U.S. is the HQ of the emerging world ruling class, while if the Fed hikes interest rates, that shakes the world. The Bolivian shake -- or even a coup d'etat -- has little effect on the U.S. and may have little effect even on Paraguay. However, it made me sad. Earthquake empathy is high here in Los Angeles, California.
In case anyone was interested, I'm just a figment of the cyberuniverse, having no sex, gender, race, ethnicity, creed, disability, or condition of previous servitude. That I can make such a (poor) joke is a symptom of my being a white male hetero tenured full prof.
in international solidarity,
Jim Devine jdevine at popmail.lmu.edu & http://clawww.lmu.edu/Departments/ECON/jdevine.html "A society is rich when material goods, including capital, are cheap, and human beings dear." -- R.H. Tawney.