Combating Anti-Americanism
Jean-François Revel’s recent book, Anti-Americanism, put a terrifying label on a phenomenon that we can no longer ignore. Anti-Americanism has transcended mere political opposition abroad to emerge as a full-blown hate movement. We need to understand that movement if we’re going to defeat it.
Anti-Americanism is coming to bear an eerie resemblance to anti-Semitism, (or anti-Zionism, as it is known in fashionable circles). Anti-Americans blame the U.S. for supporting or opposing authoritarian regimes, for investing or failing to invest in developing countries, for lowering or raising trade barriers, and for intervening or failing to intervene in crisis zones. Anti-Semites have long blamed the Jews for being submissive and assertive, communists and capitalists, stateless people and people committed to building a state. The history of anti-Semitism demonstrates the danger of ignoring such hypocrisy simply because its internal inconsistencies render it absurd.
As Daniel Pipes detailed in Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where it Comes From, such oxymoronic thinking is the hallmark of conspiracy theorists. Incoherence actually fuels their hatred, by supposedly demonstrating both the power and the insidious nature of their targets. We downplay the danger of anti-American conspiracy theorists at our own peril.
Jew haters and American haters are becoming indistinguishable. They are increasingly the same people spewing the same venom, modified only slightly to fit the circumstances. The “Sharon is worse than Hitler” slander paved the way nicely for the “Bush is a greater threat than Saddam” absurdity. The vitriol voiced last spring as U.S. forces sought to liberate Iraq was lifted wholesale from the opprobrium leveled at Israel’s drive to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure of the West Bank a year earlier. Demonstrators worldwide happily march beneath portraits of Yasir Arafat and Saddam Hussein while protesting free trade.
None of this hatred has anything to do with the U.S./Israel alliance; its roots run much deeper. It springs from a visceral contempt for all that is liberal, western, or modern, and will inevitably grow into overt anti-Westernism. Astoundingly, many alleged liberals have chosen to either sit silently or to join the anti-American chorus. They seem to almost hope that they can someday say: “First they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Americans and I did not speak out—because I was not an American. Then they came for me—and by then there was no one left to speak out for me.”
To quote Harry Truman, the buck stops here. We are strong enough to speak—and to act—on our own behalf. Some key lessons of Jewish survival in the face of relentless anti-Semitism can teach us how to defeat anti-Americanism:
1. Remember who we are.
We the people of the United States of America are our constitutional system. We are a liberal society of free people with a limited government. We respect each others’ rights to worship as we choose, to speak as we choose, to bear arms, and to make personal decisions. We treat all people as equals under the law, and extend due process even to those accused of the vilest crimes. Every reiteration or expansion of these ideals makes us stronger.
2. Stop wondering why they hate us.
Anti-Americans hate us because of who we are, not because of what we do. They hate our constitutional system, our respect for the individual, and our tolerance of differences. They believe that not all faiths deserve respect, that not all people are equal under the law, and that an intrusive, paternalistic government should dictate morality. They resent what we do with our freedom.
3. Strive for unity; value dissent.
Democrats: Stop pretending that it’s about Bush! We’re dealing with people who can’t tell the difference between Al Sharpton and David Duke. Criticize the administration for every misstep, but never without a constructive alternative. Support the right policies, even if you don’t get the credit.
Republicans: Stop acting like you own the place! There are plenty of Democrats who would work with you on centrist policies tilted in your direction—but not if you freeze them out, ignore their concerns, and question their patriotism. Alienating half the country is a lousy strategy for combating anti-Americanism.
4. Lead.
Multilateralists will stay forever on a broken bandwagon. Unilateralists will jump off the bandwagon to avoid the crowd. Leaders will build the wagon, accommodate all passengers willing to follow the rules, and welcome latecomers graciously whenever they arrive.
5. We are not alone.
Other countries share our ideals, and even more would like to. The United Kingdom and Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Turkey and Israel, Mexico and Chile, Italy, Spain, and Poland are along for the ride. If we fail, they fail—and they know it. They have tied their futures to ours because they see us as a mentor, a protector, and a friend. These nations and their people are special, even when they disagree with us. Anti-Americanism may rear its ugly head in such places, but it is unlikely to take root if we engage it.
6. We need to keep our friends.
Continental Europe and East Asia have long bristled under Anglo-American leadership. Their founding philosophies and strategic interests overlap with our own, yet remain distinct. They speak more of equality and community, less of the individual. They concentrate more power in their leaders’ hands. These differences may lead them to misconstrue anti-Americanism as an affirmation of their own superiority. We need to remind them that what anti-Americans hate defines our common bonds, not our subtle differences.
7. Recognize which alliances are only tactical.
Saudi Arabia has been a wonderful business partner. We wanted a reliable source of cheap oil. They wanted the resources to spread their intolerant Wahhabist creed. We both achieved our goals. Geopolitics may push us into such relationships, but fundamentalist authoritarians will never be our friends.
8. Zero tolerance.
Anti-Americanism is a cancer. Left unchallenged anywhere, it will spread everywhere. It can’t be contained or condoned. There is no such thing as “an acceptable level” of anti-Americanism.
9. Internalize constructive criticism.
We make mistakes, we believe the wrong people, and some of out calculated risks don’t pay off. Not every statement critical of American actions or policies is anti-Americanism.
10. Survival is victory.
Being an American is both a privilege and a reward—as immigrants from around the world continue to prove. No one ever said that it had to be easy. There are people out there who hate us not for what we do, but for who we are: strong, proud, rich, free, and tolerant. We have a liberal, democratic, constitutional system to defend—and to expand. Its survival is our victory.
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