Do you think the US government uses its money and power in an underhand way to promote its best financial interests? All politics aside (i know this is a strange request in a politics sub-forum) im interested in what people around the world think just out of plain curiosity...
yes!, and this abuse of power is not just limited to US government. Every government in the world do it.
I think the OP meant regarding foreign policy and relations with other countries and nations, I answered yes.
Government by it's very nature is abusive. People who think they can control it, harness it and use it, are kidding themselves. It is a tremendous moral challenge to just control it and keep it small.
People abuse power. Institutions sometimes make it easy for people to do that, but "government" is not a conscious entity by itself, so "government" doesn't abuse, only people who are using the government as an excuse.
Actually, the whole notion of government is to organize disparate elements or resources along a common vision. However, government does so by force, and hence does not represent compliance (or consent from the governed) when it does so. Take all the things government does, and the taxes required to fund them. If taxes were voluntary, the government would be much less powerful. And so, in order to be (sic) effective, the government must coerce or use force to gain consent, participation and resources.
Yes... Unchallenged Power, without underlying principles to protect its integrity, is always abused, anywhere and everywhere. History is replete with such examples. I strongly believe the US government, and its corporations, abuse their power, money and influence around the world... P.S. I recommend you watch the movie "Syriana"
Yes the US government is abusing it's power, not for the sake of the people but for the sake of the power elite.
Syriana was a freaky movie.. The lowdown if I remember right: Rich oil producing nation with a monarchy/dictatorship for a government thats pro US interests. Young idealistic prince/politician guy gets tired of the corruption and wants to stage a coup and turn the government toward democracy. The US doesn't like this, even though it would then be a free nation, so the CIA kills him. In the end a couple young arab kids blow up an oil tanker where a bunch of state officials and oil executives were having a meeting to celebrate doing business together.
Definitely they are abusing their power. Here is the proof of abusing power http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=881719
I am not sure I consider it abuse of power for a country to promotes its own interests. But it is abuse for a government to use it's power not for the nation but for special interest groups such as the extremely rich, or the extremely religious groups. I wouldn't mind so much that many non-Americans do not like our policies if I honestly believed those policies where what Americans want and in our best interests. But most of the BS we get hated on for is the type of BS that will never benefit the average US citizen.
Ruling the world by justice and peace is something very very hard, not every country or nation can do it.