This is a great article about anti-Americanism! I totally agree.
“False hope for global unity” by Lawrence Solomon, Financial Post,
October 31, 2008:
My American friends believe that, after Barack Obama becomes president, America will once again be loved around the world. They are wishful thinkers.
Anti-Americanism didn’t begin with George Bush and it won’t end with an Obama presidency. With rare exceptions, America has always inspired hatred and contempt, and for reasons that aren’t about to go away. Those who expect America’s haters to convert on November 4 need to get out more. (…)
Many, many scholars have examined the phenomenon of anti-Americanism, some likening it to a kind of secular religion that explains all the world’s evils, from poverty and injustice to wars and environmental destruction. My explanation is less complicated: America is an unparalleled success, and with success comes envy and resentment, especially of those who don’t have it. (…)
Finally, America is loathed because its brand of free-market capitalism remains ascendant, having outperformed European-style socialism and utterly defeated Communism, ideologies that attract many if not most of the world’s intellectuals. More than two centuries since its founding, the U.S. shows no sign of losing either its economic or military supremacy. (…)
America will be America after Nov 4. Anti-Americanism is safe.
Thanks Bob for sending the link!
PS: One of the commenters even states she had an editorial orgasm when reading this piece. Well, I would not go that far ;-) but it is definitely worth reading!