Americans--perhaps because their relative insularity from the corrupting influences and jaded attitudes of the Old World--seem particularly prone to believe that they can gauge the depths of other men's souls upon superficial acquaintance. A related phenomenon is that so many Americans think they know all there is to know about foreign countries/cultures after a brief visit (often without having even a basic knowledge of the languages spoken in the countries they feel competent to evaluate). These are charming foibles when they involve private individuals, but the charm fades where foreign policy-makers are concerned.
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Americans--perhaps because their relative insularity from the corrupting influences and jaded attitudes of the Old World--seem particularly prone to believe that they can gauge the depths of other men's souls upon superficial acquaintance. A related phenomenon is that so many Americans think they know all there is to know about foreign countries/cultures after a brief visit (often without having even a basic knowledge of the languages spoken in the countries they feel competent to evaluate). These are charming foibles when they involve private individuals, but the charm fades where foreign policy-makers are concerned.
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