Weak stomach

The United States is a great, powerful nation in many ways. Its military is massive and well-equipped, it is the most technologically advanced country in the world, and it has a vast wealth of natural resources. In many ways it would be invincible to any attack from a hostile nation. But it does have one major problem: a weak stomach and therefore a lack of respect.

What do I mean? According to an article (http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/01/airforce_china_strategy_080121/)
The Americans get very little respect. Here's why: as the article explains, the Chinese say the U.S has a public that is "abnormally sensitive about military casualties." In their eyes the American public is so afraid of troop deaths that any large casualty numbers would result in a massive anti-war movement. The American public is terrified of losing its men and women. But the Communists? You could kill a few million of 'em and they would neither notice nor care -- they'd just get angry. While the Americans start burning their own nation's flag and insult the President when they attack a bad guy, the Chinese cheer and wave Red flags when their tanks roll into somebody else's country.

No wonder Muslim extremists think they can win in the Middle East. They know, just as the Chinese do, that the United States is too enfeebled to fight a prolonged and costly war. On the other hand, the terrorists and the communists are tough. They don't care how many perish: as long as they win in the end, the losses don't matter. This percolates through from the government or terrorist group down to the average Chinese, Afghani, or Iraqi civilian. It's the same thing for all totalitarian nations: the Soviet Union lost eleven million people in World War II, and yet it glorified the war as much as possible over the next forty-six years. Despite losing hundreds of thousands of men for just fifty-thousand Americans, the North Vietnamese persevered throughout the Vietnam War. On the Muslim side of things, many actually glorify death. If you're a one of these and are killed in war, you are a martyr and are venerated. Maybe that's why they fought so hard through the Soviet War in Afghanistan, and maybe that's why neither Iraq nor Iran admitted defeat in the 1980-1988 war.

If the American public had a stronger stomach, the country would be feared and respected. Unfortunately, it is scared shitless of losing its citizens in battle. For that reason, America will always be disrespected by its foes. Think about it, folks.