london_calling

Seems Cuba is on the 'state sponsored terrorism' list because they harboured members of ETA and the FARC.

This from a country that continues to harbour IRA/PIRA terrorists (and even named a Manhattan street corner after one). Maybe the British and Irish victims just don't count?

BBC News - How will Cuba get off the state-sponsored terrorism list?

FlaviusAetius

Apparently live Irish-American voters count more than dead Irish and Brits.

robin1234

Well, the U.S. sponsored the destruction of Cubana flight 455 and, I believe, harbored the terrorists who perpetrated that outrage. Like other countries, the U.S. uses the label "terrorist" selectively.

CelticRover

Something to ponder in this age of the Obama Drone Doctrine:

“If Britain suspected that a Boston bar harbored IRA terrorists, would it be justified in lobbing cruise missiles into the city?"—Kirkus Reviews.

.....and if found to be justified, would they?

AdobePinon

To be fair, it's only hipocrisy if you believe the hype.

robin1234

Yes, but a lot of people DO seem to believe the hype that America is the shining city upon a hill.

zzrmark

Why would the US put itself on it's own list of terrorism sponsoring states?
I was surprised that there are only 4 countries on that list, shouldn't the UK and the EU be on those lists for allowing freedom of travel to home-grown Jihadists?

robin1234

True. But I think the suggestion is that the U.S. is hypocritical in suggesting that terrorism is some objectively defined thing rather than just coming out and saying "As a result of our ruthless and cynical actions over the last 200 years, we are now top nation. This gives us the power to label our enemies as terrorists or terrorism sponsoring states, as the case may be."

zzrmark

You think?

robin1234

Let me just take a look see out the door, for drones, before I answer that.

md95065

Indeed.

In many cases the only difference between a "freedom fighter" and a "terrorist" is which side they happen to be on ...

kimilseung

For me comparing the current treatment of those going to Syria with how I view those that did go to Spain, make your point very clear.

LondonSquirrel

It really annoys DH that Obama labelled the Boston Marathon bombings as a 'man made disaster' and the Fort Hood shootings as 'work place violence' to avoid calling them terrorism.

amideislas

I knew I'd spoken to soon when I suggested the "pissing on the Americans" fad seemed to be waning.

Apparently, it's still chic to label the US as the poster child of anything that's unfair, or just plain wrong. Even if doing so is blatantly hypocritical in itself.

The whole Ferguson affair is still fresh on my mind. The "tone" of press here in Europe (and the general public presumption) is that it's just another testament to the fact that the US is still the single most racist country on the planet. No need to debate this, it's a foregone conclusion.

Yet, ironically, if you happen to be educated, black, and living in Europe, you're at least twice as likely to be unemployed, and statistically, only one black in 1000 will ever hold a position above base-level management. If you also happen to be a black female, you're 16 times more likely to be unemployed, and 36 times more likely to never achieve any position above minimum wage. Racism is rife in the workplace right across Europe | Policy Review

Ok, granted, there's lies, damned lies and statistics, but frankly, I've been searching for European blacks that hold any position of significance whatsoever in private or public sector, and I have to say, it's very elusive to find any black person in any such position anywhere in Europe.

But that's not racism, it's just how it is. As we all know, it's the US that's the single most racist, most arrogant, and certainly the poster child of hypocrisy.

Good job we're all above that.

robin1234

All true, no doubt, but nothing to do with anything that's been posted in this thread earlier.