Until I see the world protest US actions in the only way that matters( e.g. refusing to finance our government's activities ), I will continue to laugh off the "world hates the US" babble.
Stop buying our toilet paper and I'll take it seriously.
No, my point was that the world is literally routing around the US.
1999: 1 US dollar = 1.57 Canadian dollar.
2011: 1 US dollar = 0.97 Canadian dollar.
Insatiable lust?
Drive down to the poorest section of your town. Do you see any pawn shops? Do you see any signs offering to buy dilapidated houses for cash? Do you see cash for gold signs? Do you see payday loan businesses? Do you see businesses that advance you money against your tax refund? Will someone give you a sub-prime loan to buy a house you can't afford? Is there a WalMart ready to sell you plastic junk?
I am not saying that the US is an economic slum. However, I offer this analogy to demonstrate that it is a logical fallacy to assume that just because people want to sell you stuff and loan you money, therefore your actions must be respected.
The world doesn't boycott doing business with you. So what? That doesn't automatically mean that it respects what you are doing, any more than a pawnshop owner loaning money in the slum respects his clientele.
p.s. Please don't take my response too personally, I'm reacting to the previous 999 times I've read it or variations of it as well.
p.p.s. FWIW, If I were to argue that the world still looks up to the US, I wouldn't use treasury bonds to bolster my argument, I'd use immigration. It's hard to argue with the hordes of people who pack up their lives and cross oceans to start fresh in the USA.