“America, Non!” The epicenter of anti-Americanism? Not the Islamic world, but Europe.

During the past year, much attention has been paid to anti-Americanism in political life around the world. The argument is made that certain American policies provoke ill will and that, if it were not for these policies, the ugly face of anti-Americanism would dissolve into warm smiles of welcome. Not surprisingly, this proposition is typically put forward by domestic opponents of precisely those policies that, allegedly, elicit anti-Americanism overseas.

It is natural to wish that friendship replace hostility. It is also the case that anti-American protests do respond to particular policies: the rejection of the International Criminal Court, the refusal of the Kyoto Treaty, and, especially, the engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is not always the case, however, that policies such as these are the root cause of anti-Americanism; it is therefore wrong to assume that policy change would eliminate hostile attitudes. On the contrary, anti-Americanism is a complex cultural phenomenon that reflects problematic issues in local cultures and deep features of global competition.

To gauge the significance of anti-Americanism today, it is important to distinguish among distinct regional phenomena. Hostility toward the United States in parts of Latin America is a consequence of a long and troubled history, including the various interventions during the past century. Meanwhile, the American occupation presence in Japan sometimes leads to irritation around particular events. Obviously, these two examples are very different from each other, and neither is particularly related to current policy.

The Arab world offers a third example. In this case, anti-Americanism has been nurtured by the largely state-controlled press with its propagandistic treatment of the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Rather than underscoring anti-Americanism in the Arab world, however, it is more interesting to recognize its unexpectedly limited scope. Opponents of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have regularly warned that provoking “the Arab street” would topple the moderate regimes in the region, conjuring up frightening images of unlimited fanaticism. So far, these worst-case predictions have not been fulfilled. Indeed, the large and most antagonistic demonstrations have not been in Cairo or Amman but in Europe.

The genuine epicenter of anti-Americanism today is in Europe, not in the Islamic world. Indeed it can be localized even further as “old Europe,” the continental Western European countries, especially France and Germany but Spain and Italy as well. (In the latter two cases, the political leaders were willing to take a political risk and side with the United States, thereby resisting anti-American sentiment in their domestic publics.) In contrast, anti-Americanism is negligible in the “new Europe,” the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe. This difference within Europe became apparent in 2002: During President Bush’s visit to Berlin in May, he faced large, hostile demonstrations, but friendly crowds greeted him in November in Vilnius and Bucharest. One can easily explain a pro-American predisposition in the formerly communist countries, given the leadership role played by the United States in the Cold War. Explaining anti-American predispositions in the countries that have long been counted among our closest allies is a more difficult challenge.

Understanding this West European anti-Americanism is the crux of the matter. The accusation of anti-Americanism of course often elicits a defensive denial: The anti-American claims to be only “anti-Bush.” Obviously it is important to distinguish between reasoned criticism of United States policy, as part of a vigorous public debate, and an anti-American animus that goes beyond reason, that takes on an irrational character, and that draws on underlying hostilities that have nothing to do with objective estimations of current affairs. It is a prejudice, and, as such, it is immune to rational objections.

One can observe three distinct aspects of the prejudicial character of the anti-American mentality in Western Europe. First, although anti-Americanism may point fingers at the United States, it is primarily an expression of local identity problems. German anti-Americanism always involves escaping a troubled national past, hence the constant Nazi metaphors. French anti-Americanism, in contrast, imagines retrieving a former great power status through a special relationship to the Arab world, hence the prominence of anti-Semitism and the violent attacks on Jewish demonstrators and Iraqi dissidents. Italian anti-Americanism, often moderated by the many transatlantic family ties, has largely been a vehicle to express opposition to Berlusconi, unpopular on the Left long before his support for U.S. Iraq policy. In all three cases, it turns out that U.S. policy is really only a pretext for acting out local identity issues. Attacking an external scapegoat is a convenient camouflage for internal problems.

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The incapacity of the Europeans to act in concert, particularly in foreign policy matters, only adds fuel to the fire. Anti-Americanism is much less about the character of American actions than about the European inability to act at all.

Alas, oor old sclerotic Europe just can't get it up any more.

Europe 1991 - The US should butt out of European affairs with regards to Yugoslavia.

Europe 1996 - HELP!!!!!!!

If they diss Uncle enough, there will be a day when noone is left to bell the cat. That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is why Tony Blair was with us in Iraq to the bloody hilt.

First, although anti-Americanism may point fingers at the United States, it is primarily an expression of local identity problems. German anti-Americanism always involves escaping a troubled national past, hence the constant Nazi metaphors. French anti-Americanism, in contrast, imagines retrieving a former great power status through a special relationship to the Arab world, hence the prominence of anti-Semitism and the violent attacks on Jewish demonstrators and Iraqi dissidents. Italian anti-Americanism, often moderated by the many transatlantic family ties, has largely been a vehicle to express opposition to Berlusconi, unpopular on the Left long before his support for U.S. Iraq policy. In all three cases, it turns out that U.S. policy is really only a pretext for acting out local identity issues. Attacking an external scapegoat is a convenient camouflage for internal problems.

Another words, Europeans hate themselves, cannot face the past or present and are too chickensh!t to admit it. This is a great article!

It is also the case that anti-American protests do respond to particular policies: the rejection of the International Criminal Court, the refusal of the Kyoto Treaty...

In a nutshell. They do not like it that the US refuses to Frencher (surrender) their sovereignty away. :-( Anyone need cheese with that whine?

And I love this:

It is also the case that anti-American protests do respond to particular policies: the rejection of the International Criminal Court, the refusal of the Kyoto Treaty, and, especially, the engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Yes, yes...we should be yellow bellied chickens like the french or as in the case of germany, start things we can't finish!

An interesting article. I would add that one source of anti-Americanism in Old Europe is a combination of a justified feeling of inferiority in power and a resentment at being forced out of a make-believe world in which power is unnecessary. This, too, is unlikely to go away, first because no commitment toward military parity on the part of the EU is on the horizon and second because that make-believe world, one in which all decisions are referred to a council of (self-cast) wise persons to whom every knee shall bow, is an illusion that is very difficult to discard - it is seductive for its veneer of moral superiority and the comforting certainty that the other side may be stronger, but its adherents are smarter.

It is also important to remember that there is a large minority of opinion in Europe that knows better, that does remember lessons from both World Wars and the subsequent Cold War, and that does view the coming and perhaps inevitable European oligarchy with real alarm. I wish them luck - they may be the next wave of immigrants.

Another words, Europeans hate themselves, cannot face the past or present and are too chickensh!t to admit it.

A large part of that past is Christianity, which Europeans are doing their utmost to suppress. Americans still embrace Christianity, the moral decline of recent decades notwithstanding. That is one of the major causes of the tension between the continents. Although we often speak of "post-Christian" America, Europe is much farther down the road of secularization than we are.

Some of them post here on FR, as I'm sure you are aware. They're brave, as they are subject to French/German/Europe bashing at times, but I have learned from them, and their presence has served to remind me that painting all Europeans with a broad brush serves no better purpose on our end than it does if the Europeans are the ones wielding the paint brush.

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