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Peter1469
02-19-2014, 05:38 PM
Here is an interesting article by STRATFOR (http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/american-publics-indifference-foreign-affairs)that explains how the American citizen's view of foriegn affairs has evolved very differently than citizens of European nations. Geography has much to do with it.


The United States was founded as a place where private affairs were intended to supersede public life. Public service was intended less as a profession than as a burden to be assumed as a matter of duty -- hence the word "service." There is a feeling that Americans ought to be more involved in public affairs, and people in other countries are frequently shocked by how little Americans know about international affairs or even their own politics. In many European countries, the state is at the center of many of the activities that shape private life, but that is less true in the United States. The American public is often most active in public affairs when resisting the state's attempts to increase its presence, as we saw with health care reform. When such matters appear settled, Americans tend to focus their energy on their private lives, pleasures and pains.



Read more: The American Public's Indifference to Foreign Affairs | Stratfor (http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/american-publics-indifference-foreign-affairs#ixzz2toHx7rZY)
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