Synopses & Reviews
“Once you see the deep and diffuse roots of current anti-Americanism, you realize there wont be an easy fix.”
The New York Times Book Review The rise of anti-Americanism is the most pressing challenge facing us. In
America Against the World, Pew Research Center president Andrew Kohut and Bruce Stokes consider the surprising findings of Pews unprecedented survey of world opinion to understand why the world has turned against America: where once we were considered the champion of democracy, we are now seen as a militant hyperpower.
The answer: Americans go-it-alone attitudes have pushed the world away. From our business endeavors abroad to the Bush administrations preemptive war policy, exceptional individualismin particular, our belief in personal responsibility and our unclouded optimismhave encouraged the world to view the United States as a bully and a threat. Former secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright argues in her foreword that we cannot stop the spread of anti-Americanism without truly understanding who we are. America Against the World provides the insights to take that step. Andrew Kohut is the director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, the leading nonpartisan polling organization in America. He is a frequent commentator for PBS and NPR and a regular essayist for The New York Times. He lives in Washington, D.C. Bruce Stokes is the international economics columnist for National Journal and a consultant to the Pew Global Attitudes Project. A former senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, he lives in Washington, D.C. The precipitous rise in anti-Americanism is startling. America's image has dramatically deteriorated over the past five years, and even the American people themselves are less well regarded than in the past. From the war on terrorism to antiglobalization protests to entrenched resistance to U.S. initiatives at the United Nations, Americans feel assailed from all quarters.
To understand why the world has turned against the United States, the Pew Research Center, under the leadership of Andrew Kohut, has undertaken an unprecedented series of global opinion surveysmore than 91,000 respondents in fifty nationsto discover how the world views America and its people. In America Against the World, Kohut and Bruce Stokes unveil the sobering and surprising results of these surveys, looking at the role played by U.S. attitudes and values in the dynamic rise of anti-Americanism. They reveal that:
More than 70 percent of non-Americans say the world would be improved if America faced a rival military power. Americans overwhelmingly disagree.
Two-thirds of Americans think that the preemptive war can be justified, while few Europeans agree. Most people around the world believe that America ignores their interests in making foreign policy, yet 67 percent of Americans feel that the United States pays attention to the interests of other countriesa disconnect of a major order.
Americans take enormous pride in their way of doing business and practicing democracy, but citizens of other nations rank Australia, Britain, and Canada higher than the United States as places to go for economic opportunity and freedom.
Ninety-four percent of Americans believe in Godcompared to 60 percent of the British, 56 percent of the French, and 50 percent of Germans. Spiritually, America has more in common with Muslim countries like Egypt and Pakistan than with its European allies.
In what is perhaps their most provocative finding, Kohut and Stokes discern that what has pushed the world away is not simply the war in Iraq but also the American public's exceptional individualism that often results in go-it-alone attitudes. And it doesn't help that Americans' pervasive religiosity and deep patriotism are often exaggerated and misunderstood by America's critics.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright argues in her foreword that we cannot stop the spread of anti-Americanism without truly understanding who we are. America Against the World provides the insight to take that step. "Using a wealth of domestic and international polling data, Kohut and Stokes ask just how exceptional Americans are and examine the impact of this exceptionalism on world opinion. Overall, they find that Americans are unique but not uniquely uniquethat is, the differences of opinion between Americans and others on a range of topics (happiness, religious conviction, and individualism, among others) are striking but not shocking. Because liberal and democratic values have been in the ascendancy since the nineteenth century, Kohut and Stokes argue, Americans are less out of step with the global mainstream than they were a century ago. The most significant differences between Americans and others have to do with individualism: whether from red or blue states, Americans tend to be more optimistic than most people about their ability to shape their own lives and more pessimistic about both the propriety and the efficacy of using government action to solve social problems. As individualists, Americans tend to be skeptical of organizations like the United Nations; as optimists, they underestimate the dangers and obstacles that lie ahead. These attitudes, Kohut and Stokes suggest, are likely to create enduring problems as long as the most individualistic people on the planet continue to bear the greatest responsibility for solving problems that demand united global action. Kohut and Stokes make a strong case for this central contention, and the results of their global surveys and their interpretative essays make for interesting and enlightening reading."Foreign Affairs
"If you've been wondering why the rest of the world often misunderstands, dislikes, and even fears the United States, this book offers convincing answers. Andrew Kohut, Bruce Stokes, and their colleagues have done impressive original research and produced truly arresting insights."Doyle McManus, Washington Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times
"At a time when America needs international support more than ever, Andrew Kohut and Bruce Stokes explain why the United States is distinct and sometimes disliked. Rather than rely on conjecture, they use international surveys to answer these critical questions. Anyone worried about America's place in the world will find new evidence and unconventional answers in this well-written book."Joseph S. Nye, Jr., author of Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics
"By holding up two mirrorshow we Americans look to ourselves and how we look to othersAndrew Kohut and Bruce Stokes hit us with a reality full of surprises, comforting and unsettling insights, and a full meal for policymakers and the rest of us to digest or pay the consequences. Very carefully and fairly analyzed, this is a truly important book."Leslie H. Gelb, president emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations "More than 70 percent of non-Americans think the world would be better off if there were another superpower to keep the U.S. in check. The Pew Research Center lends its reputation for nonpartisanship to the largest survey of world opinion aimed at learning why Americans have
Review
"If you've been wondering why the rest of the world often misunderstands, dislikes, and even fears the United States, this book offers convincing answers. Andrew Kohut, Bruce Stokes, and their colleagues have done impressive original research and produced truly arresting insights."
--Doyle McManus, Washington Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times
"At a time when America needs international support more than ever, Andrew Kohut and Bruce Stokes explain why the United States is distinct and sometimes disliked. Rather than rely on conjecture, they use international surveys to answer these critical questions. Anyone worried about America's place in the world will find new evidence and unconventional answers in this well-written book."
--Joseph S. Nye, Jr., author of Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics
"By holding up two mirrors--how we Americans look to ourselves and how we look to others--Andrew Kohut and Bruce Stokes hit us with a reality full of surprises, comforting and unsettling insights, and a full meal for policymakers and the rest of us to digest or pay the consequences. Very carefully and fairly analyzed, this is a truly important book."
--Leslie H. Gelb, president emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations
Synopsis
"Once you see the deep and diffuse roots of current anti-Americanism, you realize there won't be an easy fix."--The New York Times Book Review The rise of anti-Americanism is the most pressing challenge facing us. In
America Against the World, Pew Research Center president Andrew Kohut and Bruce Stokes consider the surprising findings of Pew's unprecedented survey of world opinion to understand why the world has turned against America: where once we were considered the champion of democracy, we are now seen as a militant hyperpower.
The answer: Americans' go-it-alone attitudes have pushed the world away. From our business endeavors abroad to the Bush administration's preemptive war policy, exceptional individualism--in particular, our belief in personal responsibility and our unclouded optimism--have encouraged the world to view the United States as a bully and a threat. Former secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright argues in her foreword that we cannot stop the spread of anti-Americanism without truly understanding who we are. America Against the World provides the insights to take that step.
Synopsis
"Once you see the deep and diffuse roots of current anti-Americanism, you realize there won't be an easy fix."--The New York Times Book Review
The rise of anti-Americanism is the most pressing challenge facing us. In America Against the World, Pew Research Center president Andrew Kohut and Bruce Stokes consider the surprising findings of Pew's unprecedented survey of world opinion to understand why the world has turned against America: where once we were considered the champion of democracy, we are now seen as a militant hyperpower.
The answer: Americans' go-it-alone attitudes have pushed the world away. From our business endeavors abroad to the Bush administration's preemptive war policy, exceptional individualism--in particular, our belief in personal responsibility and our unclouded optimism--have encouraged the world to view the United States as a bully and a threat. Former secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright argues in her foreword that we cannot stop the spread of anti-Americanism without truly understanding who we are. America Against the World provides the insights to take that step.
Synopsis
America's leading nonpartisan pollster shows how we are different--and how our exceptionalism feeds the rise in anti-Americanism
The precipitous rise in anti-Americanism is startling. To understand why the world has turned against the United States, the Pew Research Center, under the leadership of Andrew Kohut, has undertaken an unprecedented survey of world opinion--more than 91,000 respondents in fifty nations. In America Against the World, Kohut and Bruce Stokes unveil the sobering and surprising findings.
America's image is at a low ebb: where once it was considered the champion of democracy, America is now seen as a self-absorbed, militant hyperpower. More than 70 percent of non-Americans say that the world would be improved if America faced a rival military power, and about half the citizens of Lebanon, Jordan, and Morocco think that suicide attacks on Americans in Iraq are justified.
Where does this anti-Americanism come from? Kohut and Stokes find that what pushed the world away is American exceptionalism--our individualism and our go-it-alone attitude. And it doesn't help that Americans' pervasive religiosity and deep patriotism are often exaggerated by America's critics.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright argues in her foreword that we cannot stop the spread of anti-Americanism without truly understanding who we are. America Against the World provides the insight to take that step.
Synopsis
“Once you see the deep and diffuse roots of current anti-Americanism, you realize there wont be an easy fix.”
The New York Times Book Review The rise of anti-Americanism is the most pressing challenge facing us. In
America Against the World, Pew Research Center president Andrew Kohut and Bruce Stokes consider the surprising findings of Pews unprecedented survey of world opinion to understand why the world has turned against America: where once we were considered the champion of democracy, we are now seen as a militant hyperpower.
The answer: Americans go-it-alone attitudes have pushed the world away. From our business endeavors abroad to the Bush administrations preemptive war policy, exceptional individualismin particular, our belief in personal responsibility and our unclouded optimismhave encouraged the world to view the United States as a bully and a threat. Former secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright argues in her foreword that we cannot stop the spread of anti-Americanism without truly understanding who we are. America Against the World provides the insights to take that step.
About the Author
Andrew Kohut is the president of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, the leading nonpartisan polling organization in America. Kohut is a frequent commentator for PBS and NPR and a regular essayist for The New York Times. He lives in Washington, D.C. Bruce Stokes is the international economics columnist for National Journal and a consultant to the Pew Global Attitudes Project. He lives in Washington, D.C.