Book Review Essay: Anti-Americanism
| Author | Tuomas Forsberg |
| Published date | 01 December 2009 |
| Date | 01 December 2009 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0010836709344613 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
BOOK REVIEW ESSAY
Anti-Americanism
What Is It, and How Can We Study and Explain it?
TUOMAS FORSBERG
• Richard Higgott and Ivona Malbasic, eds The Political Consequences
of Anti-Americanism. Abingdon: Routledge, 2008, 256 pp. ISBN
13-978-0415463911. (PCA)
• Peter Katzenstein and Robert Keohane, eds Anti-Americanisms in
World Politics. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2007, 351 pp.
ISBN 13-978-0801473517. (AWP)
• Ivan Krastev and Alan McPherson, eds The Anti-American Century.
Budapest: CEU Press, 2007, 162 pp. ISBN 13-978-9637326806. (AC)
• Andrei Markovits, The Uncouth Nation. Why Europe Dislikes
America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2007, 302 pp. ISBN
13-978-0691122878. (UN)
• Brendon O’Connor and Martin Griffiths, eds (2006) The Rise
of Anti-Americanism. London: Routledge, 2006, 225 pp. ISBN
13-978-0415369077. (RA)
Introduction
Although the term ‘anti-Americanism’ is as old as the United States itself, it
is actually less than 10 years since it found its way into the politico-diplomatic
vocabulary. The concept, or its conveyed purpose, is readily misunderstood,
since it can be seen both as exaggerating the nature of criticism towards the
United States and as belittling it by labelling criticism as deriving simply
from an irrational negative bias. Certainly, it would be easier simply to
talk about the image of the United States abroad, but for better and worse
‘anti-Americanism’ is one term that has evoked heated debate and raised
Cooperation and Conflict: Journal of the Nordic International Studies Association
Vol. 44(4): 443–454. © NISA 2009 www.nisanet.org
SAGE Publications, Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, and Washington DC
www.sagepublications.com
0010-8367. DOI: 10.1177/0010836709344613
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