> I did not argue that US is an international benevolent do gooder. In
> fact I argued against such a concept of world power. My point was that
> the US acts in enlightened self-interest in countries it occupied
> (menaing rebuilding their economic and political instiutions in acertain
> mold). That is very much different from from the "ususal" pattern of
> occuation, which often leaves plunder, genocide and scorrched earth.
> That does not imply that the US policies did not have negative impacts
> on other countries (intentionally or not) - it simply means that the US
> pursues its interest abroad by building favorable instiutions rather by
> exterminating conquered people.
Even IMF claims to build favourable institutions in other parts of the world. The question is whether the US knows how to build favourable institutions in rest of the world. Did the US know how to build them in Russia? What is the US blueprint for post-Saddam Iraq?
Ulhas