>>>>>The author is an American - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalmers_Johnson. Unless, of course, you think I am jealous of your country? In which case I am not. I think the US have done, and are doing, amazing things. But so are other countries. I think the US are doing some things wrong. But so are other countries. But the US tends to have a significant influence on the world, directly and indirectly and for good and bad, and hence is a focus of attention to many other countries and the people of those countries.
>>>>
>>>>You make my point. I'm not saying we're perfect, we just happen to be at the top of the pile. I didn't have anything to do with that, and only by sheer luck was I born here. I am just thankful every day that it happened that way. I think we have a duty to the rest of the world to try to make things better, not worse, but that would be a whole other thread.
>>>
>>>I would agree the US is at the top of the military-power "pile". But when it comes to measures like Nobel prize winners it is more or less evenly split between the US and Europe for pole position. For the standard-of-living "pile" I think there are a number of European countries that could be argued as #1. For the debt pile the US is #1.
>>
>>Are you sure about debt?
>
>IIRC it is correct. The US went from being the worlds largest creditor nation some years ago to the worlds largest debtor nation. A Google search for worlds largest debtor nation find various links and Wikipedia has more info.
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>http://www.cgdev.org/content/publications/detail/4091
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_United_States
>
>If not #1 then still near the top but it is not the main point I'm making either way.

Sure, I knew it wasn't the main point, though main points should not be argued by using inaccurate argumentation. By the way, the idea of USA as the biggest debtor, besides inaccurate numbers, is also based on faulty definitions.