Most people who aren't concerned about world opinion tend to be people who have never spent time abroad. I live abroad, and my life is dedicated to changing world opinion about America, and it would be nice if I could get a little help these days!

I would agree that morality should not be determined on the basis of mere consensus. I would disagree that world opinion is worthless,though, because I believe that world opinion often reflects the morality of an action.

The author asserts that "a rule almost never broken" is that world opinion is almost always immoral. Allow me to provide 5 counter examples:

1. Hitler and the Holocaust
World Opinion says these were bad and immoral things. I agr...

Most people who aren't concerned about world opinion tend to be people who have never spent time abroad. I live abroad, and my life is dedicated to changing world opinion about America, and it would be nice if I could get a little help these days!

I would agree that morality should not be determined on the basis of mere consensus. I would disagree that world opinion is worthless,though, because I believe that world opinion often reflects the morality of an action.

The author asserts that "a rule almost never broken" is that world opinion is almost always immoral. Allow me to provide 5 counter examples:

1. Hitler and the Holocaust
World Opinion says these were bad and immoral things. I agree.

2. Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorism
World Opinion says that these people are dangerously misguided and discredit their own religion. I agree.

3. The nobility of America's founding principles
World Opinion says that the founding fathers of America, and the values they stood for, are some of the most noble and heroic the world has ever seen. I agree.

4. The value of freedom and discourse
World Opinion says that oppression is immoral and freedom is moral, and that progress is only achieved through free discourse and exchange of ideas. I agree.

5. The Importance of Altruism
World Opinion holds that doing good for our fellow man is moral, as well as preventing tragedy. I agree.

The truth is, we accept the accolades of World Opinion when we are praised. We only seek to dismiss it when it confronts us with the ugly truth that sometimes (not always!) we do things that are not moral, like bombing children for the ideology of their parents, or abridging the sovereignty of other nations to benefit our own, or standing idle while we could have saved lives because it was inconvenient to get involved.

The US has done all of these things in the 20th Century. They were not our finest moments. It is fair that we are criticized for our wrong-doings. If you can't handle that, and want to live in an isolationist bubble hostile to the rest of the world, good luck in the 21st cen...

The truth is, we accept the accolades of World Opinion when we are praised. We only seek to dismiss it when it confronts us with the ugly truth that sometimes (not always!) we do things that are not moral, like bombing children for the ideology of their parents, or abridging the sovereignty of other nations to benefit our own, or standing idle while we could have saved lives because it was inconvenient to get involved.

The US has done all of these things in the 20th Century. They were not our finest moments. It is fair that we are criticized for our wrong-doings. If you can't handle that, and want to live in an isolationist bubble hostile to the rest of the world, good luck in the 21st century!

When a country turns inward and tries to shut out the rest of the world, it has always fallen behind and fallen from power. For so many years America has been great because we are the most international country on earth, with our doors open to all corners of the world, and connected to every people in every nation. I'm going to do my best to make sure it stays that way.