Comment Re:Two sides - European ignorance of US news? (Score 2) 1021
Perhaps it was not reported in Europe, but Mr Bush was merely reflecting US reality when it came to the Kyoto fiasco. Prior to the Kyoto meeting, before President Clinton sent negotiators, the US Senate provided clear instructions. By a vote of 95-0 they instructed that the negotiators not accept certain terms. This is an amazing show of unanimity for the Senate, not a close partisan debate between Republican and Democratic party positions.
The Kyoto agreement included every one of the unacceptable terms. Clinton never proposed it to the US Senate for confirmation because it was guaranteed to be rejected, both because the unacceptable terms were still there and because the Senators were angry that they had been totally ignored by Clinton's negotiators. Bush merely stated and acknowledged the obvious. Kyoto would never be approved by the Senate, so why pretend otherwise.
Furthermore, once he did this, Canada, Japan, and Australia demanded a renegotiation. There was no international consensus at all. The Kyoto agreements were extremely one sided and highly favorable to Europe at the expense of the other developed countries. About 3/4 of the unacceptable terms were removed during this renegotiation. This did not generate much fuss because it was not a US ultimatum forcing the changes. It was acceptable to Europe to make changes to keep these other countries happy. The alternative was a total collapse of the Kyoto effort.
As a US citizen working for a European company I get to see both sides a lot. It is true that most Americans have no idea how the US is viewed, or how their own actions are viewed. I blame the schools more than TV. Most Americans are appallingly ignorant of any history (their own or others') and utterly unaware of how cultures vary. But then, the same is true of many Europeans. They have little concept of the US in so many ways.
My impression is that perhaps 10% of Americans and 20% of Europeans have enough interactions and experience to be aware of the differences and how they matter.
The Kyoto agreement included every one of the unacceptable terms. Clinton never proposed it to the US Senate for confirmation because it was guaranteed to be rejected, both because the unacceptable terms were still there and because the Senators were angry that they had been totally ignored by Clinton's negotiators. Bush merely stated and acknowledged the obvious. Kyoto would never be approved by the Senate, so why pretend otherwise.
Furthermore, once he did this, Canada, Japan, and Australia demanded a renegotiation. There was no international consensus at all. The Kyoto agreements were extremely one sided and highly favorable to Europe at the expense of the other developed countries. About 3/4 of the unacceptable terms were removed during this renegotiation. This did not generate much fuss because it was not a US ultimatum forcing the changes. It was acceptable to Europe to make changes to keep these other countries happy. The alternative was a total collapse of the Kyoto effort.
As a US citizen working for a European company I get to see both sides a lot. It is true that most Americans have no idea how the US is viewed, or how their own actions are viewed. I blame the schools more than TV. Most Americans are appallingly ignorant of any history (their own or others') and utterly unaware of how cultures vary. But then, the same is true of many Europeans. They have little concept of the US in so many ways.
My impression is that perhaps 10% of Americans and 20% of Europeans have enough interactions and experience to be aware of the differences and how they matter.
