Does the U.S. have any "real" enemies right now?

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Did it ever?

Are you being silly, ignorant or are you just trolling?

Explain to me how I am being silly, ignorant or trolling?

So you consider the 45-year rivalry with the Soviet Union that almost went to global nuclear war on multiple occasions...what, exactly?

The Soviet Union was never a genuine threat to the security of the United States.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Oh, definitely.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

The Soviet Union was never a genuine threat to the security of the United States.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

The Soviet Union was never a genuine threat to the security of the United States.

Sorry, it's true.

You were lied to.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Did it ever?

^^ This.

But I would go even further and say their greatest enemy is itself. I mean, a vast majority of its enemies, such as Iran has been born out of foreign policy incompetence regardless of a Republican or Democratic White House. Curse you national interest!

[Franzl]

How can anyone be so ignorant to suggest that the U.S. never had any legitimate enemies?

[Eraserhead]

Did it ever?

Are you being silly, ignorant or are you just trolling?

Explain to me how I am being silly, ignorant or trolling?

So you consider the 45-year rivalry with the Soviet Union that almost went to global nuclear war on multiple occasions...what, exactly?

Advanced Surrealism.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[opebo]

Or Japan in the early 40s?

Or, for that matter, Germany and Italy in the early 40s?

Yes, Japan when it was an independent power was an enemy, but you have to remember that Japan had no choice but to fight the US - the US was attacking Japanese interests to the point where the destruction of Japan as a power was inevitable, really from the first 1853 offense through Pearl Harbor.  In other words on balance, in the interaction between US and Japan, it is clear that the US was more the aggressor.

In the German case of course it wasn't so simple, but they also weren't really 'our enemy' - we just decided to side against them.

[The Mikado]

The Soviet Union was never a genuine threat to the security of the United States.

Sorry, it's true.

You were lied to.

Really, any country with enough nuclear missiles to wipe the US of the face of the Earth is an existential threat whether they intend to do so or not.  Hard to argue otherwise, iMHO.

[dead0man]

I'm trying to figure out why the "usual suspects" are in here trying to say the US has never had a "real" enemy and what they expect to get out of the stupidest argument of the week.  Does not having a "real" enemy make America easier for them to hate?  It's pretty funny since it's not like it's an argument they can make without resorting to saying things like "hurr durr" and "Advanced Surrealism".  Pretty funny...in a "awww, look at the children trying to be clever" kind of a way.

[opebo]

I'm trying to figure out why the "usual suspects" are in here trying to say the US has never had a "real" enemy and what they expect to get out of the stupidest argument of the week.  Does not having a "real" enemy make America easier for them to hate?  It's pretty funny since it's not like it's an argument they can make without resorting to saying things like "hurr durr" and "Advanced Surrealism".  Pretty funny...in a "awww, look at the children trying to be clever" kind of a way.

I think the overall point is that it is only our own aggression which has created enemies for us, and/or that none of those enemies has seriously threatened the security of the United States itself.   I'll agree that this claim overstates the case a bit, but  the fact remains that there has been a rather boldfaced misrepresentation by our overlords of both the intentions of our supposed enemies, and their actual power to threaten, for obvious reasons.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Or Japan in the early 40s?

Or, for that matter, Germany and Italy in the early 40s?

Yes, Japan when it was an independent power was an enemy, but you have to remember that Japan had no choice but to fight the US - the US was attacking Japanese interests to the point where the destruction of Japan as a power was inevitable, really from the first 1853 offense through Pearl Harbor.  In other words on balance, in the interaction between US and Japan, it is clear that the US was more the aggressor.

In the German case of course it wasn't so simple, but they also weren't really 'our enemy' - we just decided to side against them.

For once I must agree with opebo's analysis of history in this case.


The British, the Mexicans, the Spanish, the Germans, the Austrians, the Italians, the Japanese, the Russians, the Muslims...flavor of the week boogeyman.

[The Mikado]

Maybe it's one thing to say that most of our foes have never really been an existential threat to the American homeland (even Japan was only a threat to our outlying territories).  That said, it'd be hard to convince me that A. the British in the early 19th century or B. the Soviet Union post-1945 weren't threats to the existence of the US.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Maybe it's one thing to say that most of our foes have never really been an existential threat to the American homeland (even Japan was only a threat to our outlying territories).  That said, it'd be hard to convince me that A. the British in the early 19th century or B. the Soviet Union post-1945 weren't threats to the existence of the US.

A) The British did not pose an existential threat to the United States after the Revolution was over. The War of 1812 was an aggressive attempt to engage in a shameless land-grab in Canada.

B) The Soviet Union from its very inception was little more than a paper tiger. They had neither the will nor the capacity to defeat the United States militarily.

[dead0man]

Yes, refusing to sell oil to Japan in the 30s lead to them attacking us and their friends in Germany to declare war on us a couple of days later.  I have a strange feeling that if we continued to trade with Japan the same people making excuses for Japan in this thread would blame, at least in part, the US for what happened in Manchuria.  As is often the case with the "usual suspects" America is wrong, it doesn't matter what they do or don't do.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Yes, refusing to sell oil to Japan in the 30s lead to them attacking us and their friends in Germany to declare war on us a couple of days later.  I have a strange feeling that if we continued to trade with Japan the same people making excuses for Japan in this thread would blame, at least in part, the US for what happened in Manchuria.  As is often the case with the "usual suspects" America is wrong, it doesn't matter what they do or don't do.

Why would we blame the U.S. for what happened in Manchuria?

[phk]

I'm trying to figure out why the "usual suspects" are in here trying to say the US has never had a "real" enemy and what they expect to get out of the stupidest argument of the week.  Does not having a "real" enemy make America easier for them to hate?  It's pretty funny since it's not like it's an argument they can make without resorting to saying things like "hurr durr" and "Advanced Surrealism".  Pretty funny...in a "awww, look at the children trying to be clever" kind of a way.

The existence of North Dakota is a right wing conspiracy.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

No, no, only challengers, there isn't sentiments in politics, come on!