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Roots of Anti-American Feelings
A 2002 Pew study concluded that the popularity of the United States has dropped appreciably around the world in the last two years. The study, which surveyed 38,000 people in 42 countries, found that the U.S.'s "favorability ratings" took its biggest dive in the Mideast.
Note: this study was done before the 2003 Iraq war. Since that time, andi-American feelings have increased substantially around the world.
The following springs from an issue raised by a young woman who was puzzled about anti-American feelings reported on TV, which were in stark contrast to the strong, pro-American feelings she was witnessing in the U.S in the wake of 9/11.
She cited some of the many things that Americans can legitimately be proud of, and then asked, "But then how come so many people seem to hate us?"
Although anti-American feelings have existed for decades—remember the term "ugly American"?—I'm not alone in observing that these sentiments have recently increased.
It's difficult to put reasons into any kind of rank order, but at this point four issues have surfaced from the feedback I've received: the CIA, Fundamentalist Christianity, big business, and the perceived U.S. Government "bully complex." The latter has been mentioned more than any other factor.
The CIA
Although the CIA's involvement over the years in "managing" the governments of some foreign countries is well known, the agency's role in this area is probably exaggerated in the minds of many people. Plus, most of this appears to date back to times when the international media wasn't as vigilant as it is now—and not as effective in recognized CIA-planted stories.
Congressional oversight committees and the International media have forced needed changes in the way the CIA operates. Even so, resentment for political meddling in the affairs of other nations exists in the minds of many people around the world.
The CIA's image has not been helped by the fact that in earlier eras the agency actively supported people such as Osama bin Laden and Sadam Hussein. The power of these men, and others that are now archenemies of much of the world, was clearly bolstered by U.S. tax dollars.
A point that is harder to substantiate is the involvement of the CIA and CIA-funded groups in assassinations and torture—and in making end-runs around U.S. laws and Congressional watch committees. In the minds of many people the CIA has at times exercised its power in derailing investigations into these activities. The investigation into Oliver North's activities, which many people feel was "redirected" to avoid the public exposure of clearly illegal activities, is often cited.
Fundamentalist Christianity
Although it might seem that "Christianity" would be one of the United States' most laudable "exports," this is not the case in the minds of many people—and it has little to do with conflicts with other religions.
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In the minds of many, our "Christianity" is, in the words of one observer, a "hollow sham," where our actions speak much louder than our flood of evangelical words.
[Fog's column, Netither a Democracy nor a Chrsitian Nation speaks to this.]
The much publicized anti-Islamic attitudes and words of some of our fundamentalist evangelical preachers that paint Mohammed and Islamism as "evil" demonstrate a lack of tolerance for other religious beliefs.
The same intolerance is demonstrated against Jews, homosexuals, blacks, and "immoderate women." Some Christian ministers with groups throughout the world condone violence against these groups.
Given this, some observers are painting all of Christianity with the same broad brush that some of our Christian fundamentalists are using to paint the Islam religion. Clearly, small extremists factions exist in both religions, factions that are not representative of the entire group.
Another example cited relates to Christian scripture that quotes Christ: "Do you love me? Then feed my children"; a quote that is repeated, and is seemingly an indisputable mandate.
Even though many U.S. Christian organizations devote themselves to helping the poor and needy of other countries—often with evangelical goals in mind—the U.S. Government provides less than 1/1,000 (one-tenth of one-percent) of our GNP to help the needy—less than any industrialized country.
The citizens of some countries, considered to be far less Christian in their orientation, give proporpionately 10 to 15 times as much to feed the poor and needy of other countries.
The successful politicians of some countries run on platforms boasting of providing assistance to the needy of the world. However, in the United States a foreign aid political platform plank such as this would clearly hinder a candidate's chances of being elected.
Ironically, this opposition seems to be greatest among Christian conservatives. Consequently, in the minds of many people in the world, although we might want to appear as the world's leading Christian nation, our "works" fall far behind our "words."
In the United States an estimated 33.5-million people—largely children—go to bed hungry on a regular basis. Organizations such as the Share Our Strength foundation (SOS) headed by Bill Shore are striving to reduce hunger in the United States. Meanwhile, in Africa an estimated 38-million people will die from hunger in the upcoming months.
Is there a worldwide shortage of food? No, not according to many experts; there is just a lack of motivation to do something about the hunger problem.
Other examples were also given under this category, especially in regard to our sale of arms to counties—sometimes to both sides in a war—and a "force as a first resort" tendency.
The issue of conflicting religious views, which would seem to be quite significant, given the level of religious strife in the world, was possibly too self-evident to mention by those who have responded.
Big Business
Probably this could be best characterized by the phrase, "profits before people." It is felt that U.S. interests around the world center on maximizing profits for large U.S. corporations at the expense of the health, safety, and well-being of people in other countries. In the eyes of one observer: "You just think you have a democracy. Everybody knows your political process is funded by and operates in the interests of your big businesses."
The protection of oil company profits are cited first, and then textile and electronics workers in third-world countries who must often work long hours in an unhealthy environment in order to feed their families. Of course, there are those who point out that no one is forced to work, and that even less-than-desirable work is better than no work at all.
Since this topic has been widely debated, there is probably little need to elaborate.
The U.S. Government
It was pointed out more than once that a distinction must be drawn between the American people and the American Government.
Many point out that although some Americans exude a "superiority complex," many, if not most, Americans are decent, friendly, hardworking people. It is the actions of U.S. Government that they often view as reprehensible.
Paraphrasing one correspondent, Your government seems to think that now that they are the world's only superpower that they can push around whomever they will to achieve their personal, economic, and political goals. Your president's quote in a major speech after 9/11 about, 'If you are not for us you are against us,' seems to typify this attitude. I guess that means that if we don't see things the way the United States does, then we are your enemy. Statements like that polarize world thinking and even create enemies where there were none before.
From another writer:
It seems that the American government only protests about gross human rights violations when it serves their political and economic interests. Presidents Reagan and Bush Senior were completely silent about Saddam during the so-called Anfal campaign of 1987-88, when tens of thousands of Kurds were slaughtered in mass executions or fumigated with lethal gases. Why? At the time the U.S. regarded Iraq as a bulwark against Iran.
Tellingly, your State Department document concluded at the time, "Human rights and chemical weapons use aside, in many respects our political and economic interests run parallel with those of Iraq.
Another observer wrote to say:
I think the anti-American problem rests both with the American government and the American people (who generally don't even care enough to vote), The American government tires to control the world and get its nose into everybody's business—in the name of freedom, of course. The American people don't know much about the rest of the world. They just accept what the media tells them.
And finally:
While your government is trying to sell the world on freedom, it is locking up people for indefinite times, without a trial, and without even the chance to talk to a lawyer. This is no different than what happens in the worst dictatorships that [your government] says it so much opposes. What happened to the presumption of innocence and the faith in your legal system?
... at the same time the U.S. government it is taking the right of privacy away from it's citizens and putting more and more of its own actions under a veil of secrecy. ...It would seem that most informed citizens of the world know more about what's happening in the United States than your own people do.
Regardless of whether you believe all of these things, the underlying issue is one of perception. These things, and many others too numerous to include here, appear to be true in the minds of many people in the world.
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