Today we continue our coverage of the global outpouring in regard to the September 11 anniversary. This article is one of the dozens of stories posted on Worldmeets.US since yesterday. The funk the United States is currently in is of great concern to U.S. allies like Japan, who depend on American influence for their own security and prosperity. This editorial from Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun illustrates the depth of concern in Tokyo, and what, from a Japanese point of view, would result if the...

Has the 2008 economic crisis in some ways corrected for the mistakes America made after September 11? Former Brazil foreign minister and ambassador to the United States Roberto Abdenur writes that the global financial crisis has served to open the United States to greater cooperation with the world – if only the Tea Party would get out of the way. For Brazil’s Folha, former Brazil Foreign Minister Roberto Abdenur writes in part: If terrorism has led the U.S. toward aggressive extroversion,...

Could it be that the United States, Iran and Israel have been conniving to keep Syrian Dictator Bashar al-Assad in office? Columnist Iraq Al-Mutari of Iraq’s Al-Iraq News Agency asserts that Iran is not only working with Washington to thwart Syrian protesters, it is running rings around America in Iraq. For the Al-Iraq News Agency, Iraq Al-Mutari writes in part: It’s no secret that the occupied government in Iraq was born of the illegal American-Zionist-Persian triumvirate, the purpose...

What lessons should Arabs draw from the fall of Muammar Qaddafi? According to columnist K. Selim of Algeria’s Le Quotidien d’Oran, Arab leaders had better absorb the fact that times and the world are changing fast, and that they must embrace reform before reform is imposed on them from the outside – namely by the West. For the Le Quotidien d’Oran, K. Selim writes in part: It must be noted that the fall of the dictator, the third in the Arab region and second in our Maghreb, is...

Were the 2001 Bush tax cuts more damaging to the United States that the September 11 attacks? Columnist Cesar Avo of Portugal’s Sol newspaper praises billionaire investor Warren Buffet for his assertion that America’s wealthy should give up the Bush tax cuts and pay more – for the good of the nation. For Portugal’s Sol newspaper, Cesar Avo starts out this way: In the year that the Twin Towers were wiped off of New York’s landscape, another attack – without the horror...

Should China use its massive holdings of American debt to interfere in U.S. domestic politics? According to this column by Senior Editor Ding Gang of the state-controlled People’s Daily, American arms sales to democratic Taiwan undermine China’s sovereignty, and must be countered regardless of the financial losses to both the U.S. and China. For the China Daily, People’s Daily Senior Editor Ding Gang writes in part: If the United States moves forward with its plan to sell weapons...

Does it take a collapsed superpower to recognize a declining one? In this analysis of the importance of the United States and the consequences of its diminishing influence, Gazeta columnist Semen Novoprudski examines why Russians have been demonizing America since the fall of the Soviet Union, and what earth’s leading nations must do now that the end of the ‘superpower era’ has arrived. For Russia’s Gazeta, Semen Novoprudski writes in small part: During the latest economic...

Were the London riots just a hint of what is to come in the United States? Hafez al-Barghouty of the Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah in the Palestinian Territories writes that in the West, democracy is a thin veneer ‘without soul’ that cannot endure in the presence of scarcity, and that as prosperity diminishes, so will a way of life Americans take such pride in. For the Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah, Hafez al-Barghouty writes in part: Over there, democracy is just something superficial to brag about. It...

As a major holder of U.S. debt, Beijing is frustrated over its lack of leverage over U.S. monetary policy, since as the dollar depreciates, China’s dollar holdings lose value. But according to this editorial from China’s state-controlled Global Times, Beijing still has a card to play. This editorial suggests that unless the U.S. halts arms sales to democratic Taiwan, another issue it considers vital to its interests, it may cut back on future purchases of U.S. Treasury bonds. The Global...

Is it possible that Michele Bachmann could be the next president of the United States? Columnist Levente Sitkei of Hungary’s Magyar Nemzet writes that while it might be said that President Obama – through no fault of his own – was in the wrong place at the wrong time, just the opposite could be true of Bachmann. Hinting at what might happen if the economy worsens and Bachmann wins, Sitkei opines, ‘It will be Michele Bachmann (rather than Obama) to the rescue. But only in...

While Germany is regarded as an axis power that has really confronted its behavior and activities during World War II, Japan is not. That is what makes this editorial from Japan’s Asahi Shimbun so eye-opening. According to Asahi, Japan’s failure to acknowledge and alter the organization of Japanese society since its defeat 66 years ago has led not only to economic crisis, but the post-tsunami nuclear disaster that has yet to be resolved. The Asahi Shimbun editorial says in part: A young...

Is it time for a full-throated reform of our ‘current economic model’? This editorial from Mexico’s La Jornada expresses just as much derision for America’s current economic policies as any Tea Party member – but comes to dramatically different conclusions. The La Jornada editorial says in part: In the best case, warnings by economic specialists about the beginning of a deceleration in the pace of global growth, or, in the worst case, a new recession, are becoming ever...

Have the United States and the West hit such a dead end in terms of economic policy that war, as a way of economic recovery, is inevitable? Columnist K. Selim of Algeria’s Le Quotidien d’Oran warns his readers that given the dire economic state of the world and America’s huge military, it is time to prepare for a new world war. For the Le Quotidien d’Oran, K. Selim writes in part: The colossal debt of nations and bleak prospects for growth are creating a panic situation on financial...

Which is worse: the debt crisis and partisan bickering in the United States, or the debt crisis and dysfunctional confluence of national political systems in Europe? This editorial from Brazil’s O Globo asserts that despite the dark clouds over America, Europe lacks the historic dynamism and resilience repeatedly demonstrated by America. The O Globo editorial says in part: Although the wrestling match between the government and opposition in the U.S. has been the spark for this wave of pessimism,...

When it comes to social media, are officials in the United States once again following a policy of ‘do as we say, not as we do’? La Stampa columnist Juan Carlos De Martin warns U.S. and British officials that shutting down cell phone service and social media to prevent protest is precisely what the Chinas and Irans of the world are hoping for. For Italy’s La Stampa, Juan Carlos De Martin writes in part: A rally against the killing of a homeless person by a Bay Area Rapid Transit...

What will become of Iraq when U.S. forces leave at the end of this year? Is the current Iraqi government capable of dealing with life on its own? And if not, what should Iraqis do about it? Columnist Atheer Al Katib of Iraq’s Kitabat newspaper admonishes his readers to begin a great debate about what kind of government – and what kind of country – they want. For Iraq’s Kitabat, Atheer Al Katib writes in part: A ‘Plan B’ is of great importance, particularly with...

Here’s a truism that Americans need to better absorb: U.S. policy is global in impact and is the concern of a good portion of the world’s inhabitants. And here’s another truism: a lot of people out there are deeply frustrated because they can’t vote, so they intend to do everything in their power to liberate themselves from U.S. influence. But as this column by Maksim Blant of Russia’s Yezhednevniy Zhurnal shows, that doesn’t mean they don’t admire certain...

The shocking statistics about Black family income released by the Pew Research center have not only caught the attention of Americans. For Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza, columnist Mariusz Zawadzki writes with surprise that all the gains of the civil rights movement seem to have been either lost or diminished in the span of the last few years. For the Gazeta Wyborcza, Mariusz Zawadzki writes in part: Lincoln, Parks, King and Obama: In these for words, one could assemble a Hollywood version of the...

With the economic crisis/collapse and the incapacity of leaders to effectively resolve it, there is a profound and existential fear gripping the modern world. According to columnist Jean-marc Vittori of France’s Les Echos, Western-style democracy, which has long been considered the most advanced system of governance, may be irretrievably unraveling. For Les Echos, Jean-marc Vittori writes in part: Global finance is built on a simple idea: the debt of the United States is 100 percent secure....

The odd set of circumstances that has led to a credit downgrade of U.S. debt, a weakened dollar and hence a stronger yen, is setting off alarm bells in Tokyo and around the world. This editorial from Japan’s Asahi Shimbun explains the phenomena to readers and comes close to begging Washington to do something to reverse the trend, which is damaging Japan’s post-quake recovery. The Asahi Shimbun editorial says in part: The government is relying on exports to speed recovery and reconstruction...

Is it time for the United States to stop standing up for human rights and democratic reform in other nations and start taking its own advice at home? According to this article by the thought-to-be-fictitious Communist Party columnist Ding Gang, U.S. presidents should stop inflaming China by meeting the Dalai Lama and selling weapons to democratic Taiwan, and start figuring out how the U.S. fits into a 21st century world with an empowered China. For China’s state-run Hanqui, someone using the...

How badly does the United States want to maintain the value of the dollar? According to columnist Nazanin Amirian of Publico, what has been behind most recent U.S. wars is not human rights or weapons of mass destruction, but the imperative of beating back all challengers to the dominance of the greenback as the world’s currency. For Publico, Nazanin Amirian writes in part: When Bush invaded Iraq in 2003, some analysts cited Saddam Hussein’s decision to abandon the dollar for the euro...

What message should the United States government take away from the first credit rating downgrade in its entire history? According to this bluntly-worded editorial from Xinhua, the state news agency of America’s largest creditor, the U.S must break its ‘addiction’ to borrowed money, the political ‘wrangling’ in Washington must end, and China’s dollar denominated assets must be protected. The Xinhua editorial that everyone seems to be quoting today says in part: The days when...

Are we witnessing a collapse in faith in paper currency – and hence, the very social contract society is based on? For Germany’s Die Welt, historian Michael Sturmer warns that unless a way is found to restore confidence in the currency, the days are numbered for democracy and the way of life we have all come to expect. For Germany’s Die Welt, Michael Sturmer writes in part: This is not just about trillions of dollars on debt. It’s about the fate of the long-time largest...

Now that the White House and Congressional lawmakers have agreed to raise the debt ceiling, there is considerable concern in other nations about the bipartisan “super committee” that will be charged with the next round of budget cuts. According to this editorial from the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japanese are not only concerned that the lawmakers will be unable to agree, but that continuing disagreement will further weaken Japan’s post-earthquake recovery. The Yomiori Shimbun editorial...