“Anti-Americanism has a long pedigree, but that only makes it more irrational”
Anti-Americanism is nothing new, but as Janet Albrechtsen writes, America deserves better.Â
maybe it’s time to check what it is that drives animosity towards the US. It is not anti-American to disagree about US policies in Iraq or on Kyoto or in Guantanamo Bay; reasonable people can differ over how the Bush administration handles critical issues. And if protesting in the streets is your thing, go ahead. Ain’t democracy grand?
Andrei S. Markovits, author of Uncouth Nation: Why Europe Dislikes America, told The Australian he is a card-carrying progressive signing up to every seminal Left issue. But he cannot stomach the toxic anti-Americanism, a staple of his side of politics.
“European anti-Americanism is becoming an unprecedented Europe-wide lingua franca” – a “key mobilising agent” for a common European identity. It has, quite literally, become the last acceptable prejudice, sanctioned by the highest levels of government. Europeans may bicker over an EU constitution, but they can agree on who they hate. They hate America.
Anti-Americanism has less to do with US politics and policies and more to do with what Markovits calls the “perfectly respectable human need to hate the big guy”. Half a century ago, Hannah Arendt commented on the same psychology of mistrust aimed at the US. It was, she said, the inevitable plight of the big, rich guy to be alternately flattered and abused, remaining unpopular no matter how generous they were.
Albrechtsen drives her point home:
And so Norwegian Nobel laureate Knut Hamsun hated the US for being too big and too fast. Anti-Americanism has morphed into a desire to bring America to heel, something that coincides with the goal of Islamists. But if the big, fast rich guy retreats, it’s worth asking who will step up to the plate when the West needs things fixed. The dawdling burghers of Europe may recall that small and slow did not help the Kuwaitis, Bosnian Muslims, Kosovars, Afghanis or the tsunami victims.
It would be churlish not to recognise that Bush Derangement Syndrome, a term coined by Charles Krauthammer, has a role to play here. Originally levelled at Democrats in Florida who raced off to their shrink, complaining of staring listlessly into space when Bush beat John Kerry in 2004, hating George W. is also a common affliction abroad. A few years ago our own John Pilger described the Bush administration as “the Third Reich of our times”.
But anti-Americanism runs deeper than Bush. “Anti-Bushism,” says Markovits, is simply the “glaring tip of a massive anti-American iceberg.” One immune to reason or climate change for that matter. As he explores, anti-Americanism dates back to 1492 and the discovery of the New World. Long before America became Mr Big, European cultural superiority meant that the US was regarded as venal, vulgar and mediocre – a lack of authenticity pervaded every part of American life. Australian playwright Stephen Sewell succumbed to the same lazy stereotyping in his play, The United States of Nothing.
Anti-Americanism cannot be explained simply by US policy stances or as anti-imperialism either. The US was hated during its isolationist periods and under its pacifist presidents. Under Bill Clinton, the US was a hyperpower according to French foreign minister Hubert Vedrine. (Clinton is now lionised by European elites as a effete kind of non-American). The hapless Jimmy Carter, so cautious of bloodshed that 52 hostages were held captive in the US embassy in Tehran for 444 days, was equally despised. Should he become president, even Barack Obama will also incur the anti-American wrath.
And, of course, US policy is not always right. Indeed, big countries make big mistakes. Pick a decade and you’ll find a major stuff-up by American political leaders, from the passing of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act by US Congress in 1930 that led to worldwide protectionism, to the CIA overthrowing the government of Iran in 1953 which unleashed anti-American sentiment across the Middle East.
But the distinguishing features of anti-Americanism are its intellectual dishonesty and irrationality. US malevolence is assumed, not proven.
So the Islamic world will complain the US is anti-Muslim while overlooking Bosnia. Europeans regularly overlook the fact that American power, resolve and, yes, idealism, delivered them from both Nazism and communism. Nor, when they nip down to the corner store for some foie gras in their BMWs or Citroens, do they remember the contribution the Marshall Plan made to their postwar prosperity.
While Russian President Vladimir Putin was railing against US power at an international security conference in Munich on Saturday, a respectable case can be made that, as hegemonies go, the US is the most benevolent history has ever seen. Not perfect by any means, but certainly deserving of better treatment than the acid reflux and bile of Western elites. America is big, rich and makes mistakes. But for the past 50 years at least, it has been the ultimate guarantor of the Western way of life. Surely it deserves a more balanced press from its critics.
February 15, 2007 - 04:13 AM on February 15th, 2007
I am wondering a little bit how/where Albrechtsen & Markovits see this Anti-Americanism being expressed? I mean, if it is derived from the idea “Anyone who is not with me is against me” regarding world politics, one could probably say that Europe is at a bunch of topics Anti-American, but I personally would regard that as the end of national self determination and what one may call international freedom/independence.
Beside, a statement like “Anti-Americanism could already be seen in 1492″ sounds a little bit ridiculous. In that case you would have to speak of a general Anti-Non-Europeanism…
February 15, 2007 - 07:20 AM on February 15th, 2007
Your-a-peein Anti-American rants are to be expected. Especially by Froggieland. Froggies are always whinning about the U.S.A. Until of course Gerry comes a shopin. Once Krautland comes to play smash and grab, and to shop for free art to take back to schintizelland then all of a sudden its “Merci Mr U.S.A. merci pleeze you come and help us, change our diapers, wipe our bottoms, and make des nastie Krauts leave us alone” Twice last century America went and helped Froggie get ride of Gerry. As soon as we did, Froogie again gets thier lacy, frilly panties in a bind, and starts spitting on us again. Now Froggie has the rest of the decadent Europe joining in their “Ve hate de America” babble. Well this century I say, when Gerry comes a shoppin in Frogland, and they start thier “Merci” stuff again, I say we just give them the famous one finger salute, and turn our backs on em, let em kill each other. None of Europe is worth the life of even one American fighting man, or woman.
February 15, 2007 - 08:35 AM on February 15th, 2007
1- I don’t think it is silly at all. I do think that it went right over your head though. I am going to use you as the example: You are against the war and think Bush was nuts for doing this. That’s not what they consider anti-American. They stated that clearly. It is the desire to see failure for America in whatever we set out to do. It is the jealousy of wanting what we are perceived to have, and wishing we would lose everything.
February 15, 2007 - 09:10 AM on February 15th, 2007
3- If it was always jealousy on your wealth or similar there would always be some kind of “somebody’s better off”-antipathy against most western countries.
Rather a lot of non-American people would think (and that’s what you may perceive as Anti-Americanism) is the nature of the American foreign policies of the time after the cold war, to claim a leadership role and also unilaterally act on a global scale without always coordinating your actions with other countries which associated themselves so far as your friends or allies.
As you mention the subject of “failure”. Isn’t it human to get some (morally not really proper) satisfaction if somebody fails, to whom you told before that his action is somehow wrong?
However, I don’t like the populist tone of Mr. Markovits. What stupid people are it that “hate” a country? Our whole culture is influenced by America as well as America’s culture is a melting pot with a huge part of European culture. Hating eachother would be like hating a part of your own body! I have the impression that Mr.Markovits makes a good deal and increases his book sales by stating such a radical evaluation.
February 15, 2007 - 09:59 AM on February 15th, 2007
I think he makes a lot of sense and I think that you are taking it personally. It isn’t aimed at anyone country or group, but more so the masses. You say that:
American foreign policies of the time after the cold war, to claim a leadership role and also unilaterally act on a global scale without always coordinating your actions with other countries which associated themselves so far as your friends or allies
Isn’t there more expected from the US than other countries? Isn’t the US the one that is expected to be the leading force? I’m thinking of Darfur and North Korea right now. If we do too much, we are bad, and if we do too little we are bad…it’s a double edged sword.
February 15, 2007 - 10:23 AM on February 15th, 2007
6 – ” If we do too much, we are bad, and if we do too little we are bad:it’s a double edged sword.”
Well if you synchronize your actions with all affected parties at least those won’t be able to complain, right? I mean, the Gulf war of Bush Sen. didn’t cause such reluctant reactions in the rest of the world as the ones of Bush Jun. right now… and the actions against the Serbs in the late 90’s neither…
February 15, 2007 - 10:29 AM on February 15th, 2007
7- ” I think that you are taking it personally.”
Yes I do. Especially if I read that Markvits accuses Europe also of Anti-Semitism. Actually today an old Neo-Nazi in Germany was convicted for the denial of the Holocaust. I think, Germany is the only country in the world where you can be charged for this…
February 15, 2007 - 10:49 AM on February 15th, 2007
6- Oil For Food wasn’t a factor in the Gulf War was it? Our ‘friends” weren’t giving Saddam the playbook in 1991, were they? Kofi Annan wasn’t Secretary General of the UN at that time, was he?
7- Europe and America have many anti-semites. That is a fact.
I am not trying to diminish the conviction, but i want to ask you a question. Will convicting the man of denial make the man believe in the Holocaust or will it just get him to keep his thoughts to himself? Rather than convict these people, why not teach them?
In your lessons about the Holocaust, are you taught of all the countries that did nothing to stop it, or is it taught just from the perspective of the Germans did this..etc.?
February 15, 2007 - 02:12 PM on February 15th, 2007
8- You can not teach anti-semites. You can educate children to not become intolerant in this way or another, but for grown-ups it’s much harder.. Let’s face the truth: you won’t make me like GW Bush and I won’t convert you to vote the democrats or to not being anti-islam in this life. But we should not teach our children attitudes like these, but simple historical facts and the didactic methods to make them their own picture.
I’ve have learned a lot about Nazi Germany and also the appeasement politics of Chamberlain or as you would say: a country that until a certain point did not do anything against the holocaust or the fascist developments. Stuff like the cirumstance that the allies new about the concentration camps and might have bombed the killing facilities but did not were informations that I learned much later… (after school)
February 15, 2007 - 03:19 PM on February 15th, 2007
9, Mattias, Do you have any real idea how accurate WWII bombers were? To destroy the “killing Facilities” would have meant the use of Allied Heavy bombers like the B-17 or British Lancasters. The whole camp would have been destroyed killing all the inmates. Is that what you would have wanted? Especially since you harp on the killing of innocents, but say and do nothing when it is Islamists doing the killing.
February 15, 2007 - 06:20 PM on February 15th, 2007
Matthias-
I agree with PCD in that we couldn’t risk bombing where the prisoners were being kept. What I was getting at though, was many countries, including the USA knew about this long before the prisoners were freed. This country has a long history of ant-semitism, just as many European countries do.
February 16, 2007 - 03:45 AM on February 16th, 2007
I don’t want to stick to this anti-semitism debate. The point is that there is some so-called expert on European/German culture who makes a statement that is complete bullshit- simple populism. Did he personally make any polls in my or any other European country? Did he live here again for a longer time (after his immigration to the US)? What is his evidence/justification to use a term like “hate”?!
February 16, 2007 - 08:54 AM on February 16th, 2007
Markovits makes some good point, but some of his arguments are not convincing.
Anti-Americanism is a big problem in Europe. The Atlantic Review, a blog on transatlantic affairs, writes a lot about Anti-Americanism. We expose examples of blatent Anti-Americanism like in this post: “Conservative Parliamentarian Implies that the US is Exterminating Other Cultures”
We also discuss “How Widespread is Anti-Americanism?” which deals with Markovits’ book as well:
We also present examples of Pro-Americanism:
German Paper: “America Remains Model to Emulate”
February 16, 2007 - 09:04 AM on February 16th, 2007
13- Josh, thankyou for providing the links! I skimmed them, but need to read them in depth. I appreciate you taking the time to present both sides of the arguement
February 16, 2007 - 09:10 AM on February 16th, 2007
Matthias,
We can get off the anti-semitism.. Let me ask you a question. We will stick with Germany, although, I didn’t mean for you to feel i was picking on them. I posted this in terms of all countries, not just Germany.
If you and I went into the streets of various villages,and we did a survey of the peoples views of America, would a negative attitude towards America be more predominant in the 60 and older crowd or the 59 and younger crowd?
February 16, 2007 - 11:02 AM on February 16th, 2007
Peejz,
I can’t reliably answer that question. If you ask young people under 20, they will probably have a negative attitude towards the US, because everything they have experienced so far were the actions of a Bush-lead America. For the older people it will probably depend on the area where you ask somebody. In southern Germany are (or used to be) many Army/Airforce bases of the US and I would assume that the people there were very happy about the wealthy guests who spent their money in the area. I mean, in East Germany I would think that the soviet “allies” were rather seen as occupiers. On the other hand people who suffered under the allied bombing in WW2 may have a more negative attitude towards the US.
So, there is no general way to answer this.
13- Josh,
it is somehow funny that this article quotes Gauweiler, because he comes from Bavaria (the German version of Texas) and his political attitude is probably much closer to US republican conservatism than 95% of the other German politicians. He represents the kind of people who wouldn’t want to have (the reliable NATO ally) Turkey in the European Union and to support any kind of christian sign in public life (cruifixes in Schools) but no muslim signs (headscarf) on the other hand- and that in a country with religious liberty. A step further to right from Mr.Gauweiler und you will have a perfect Neo-Nazi-politican!
So although I think a lot of people in the whole world disapprove the so-called war-against-terror (also as it appears to provoke more terrorism), I would a) not take a radical like Gauweiler to be assumed to speak for Germany and b) even if we do/did think like that, it does/did only refer to the current activities but not state a lasting antipathy.
February 16, 2007 - 12:30 PM on February 16th, 2007
16, Mattias, in your answer to Josh, I take great offense to your speculation and personal prejudice.
First, the Islamofascists are recruiting for a Jihad to put the entire world under Mohammad and Sharia. They need no more motivation than their religious bigotry and zealotry. You think you have no problem because you are already Muslim You need a punch in the nose to teach you to keep your disdain of other’s freedoms to yourself.
February 16, 2007 - 05:53 PM on February 16th, 2007
And the antiamerican rants start at such sewer pits as U.C. BERKELEY,hollywood,and SAN FRANCISCO:mad: