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Comment by PaulAJ | Hacker News Reader

Up until 1990 that was a reasonable approximation to the truth. The USA certainly had its issues, but in a comparison between the USA and the USSR there was no question about who the relatively good guys were.

Since the USSR collapsed, and especially since 9/11, things have gotten a lot murkier.

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I assume you are American? As resident of one of the dozens of countries that suffered US led coups our opinions differ. The US has influenced with undemocratic methods a lot more countries than the USSR even before the 90s. Just compare Europe and US sphere influence (Latin America and Africa) with USSR sphere of influence (Eastern Europe and Caucasian) Also look what happened Foreign interventions in the USSR sphere of influence for Freedom (Syria, Libya and Yugoslavia, Former USSR naval bases in the Mediterranean) those were rebellions against dictatorships. All the others are insurgencies against democracies.

I seriously challenge you to read up on the history of the Latin Americas or many African nations. The "leader of the free world" was installing and supporting fascist dictatorships left right and center, who killed thousands of people in their torture chambers (often using CIA resources). It's correct that the US was generally better to its own people (unless you were black of course), but it certainly wasn't a beacon of freedom to the world.

Really? Good guys? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_r... I especially like the US-created Contras in Nicaragua - actual terrorists.

Just a massive history of interfering with democracies with the sole aim for furthering the economic goals of the US.

You are clearly American. American administrations preferred and supported third-world tyrants during the Cold War over functional democracies since the former could be easily controlled. This is extensively documented and even admitted by several ex-DC head honchos.

Public messaging by POTUS for national consumption is very different from actions on the ground.

Is that how one reads history? Whether the Mongolian Empire or the Khwarazmian Empire were the “relatively good guys”?

This is a child’s way of seeing the world.

The leader of a region of influence yes. “Good guy” “Free world” - relative on perspective and highly subjectively US POV

That’s only possible with an extremely euro centric world view. If you were to focus on say, South America, you would’ve come to the exact opposite conclusion.

> but in a comparison between the USA and the USSR

That's a false dichotomy if I ever seen one.

It's literally a dichotomy by definition. If I say "in a comparison between chocolate and vanilla" I'm literally comparing those two specific flavors. To tell me it's a false dichotomy is silly.

I guess they are saying that there are other options. So for example if I asked you "what is your favorite ice cream flavor, vanilla or chocolate?" you might respond to me with "that's a false dichotomy, there are more than two ice cream flavors, my favorite is banana which you have not listed as an option". At least that is my understanding of the context.

No it's a false dichotomy because you are using the behavior of USSR as an excuse to give USA a pass.

There's a reason why "I'm not as bad as <other person>" is not an acceptable legal defense.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superpower

That was the dichotomy everyone had to deal with back in the day. Trying to be "unaligned" merely got you interference from both sides, with the possible exception of Switzerland.

If the US ever had good guy status, it's because of the principles it was founded upon. I'm not even sure up to which point those principles stood. Certainly not as late as the 90s. The second world war seems to have been the major turning point.

The "good guys":

- Guatemalan genocide

- Operation Condor

- Mass sterilization in Puerto Rico

- Panama as a country

- Arming the Taliban

- And more...

I think both governments had really shady people and cannot be characterized as "good".

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