You have meddling imperial powers with a belief in their inherent superiority hated by those who are either being meddled with and rivals. I would say they are very similar

Anti-Americanism in the twenty-first century results from American dominance of the world's commercial sea lanes and resulting economic power.
A country that opposes freedom and fraternity, North Korea, finds itself denied free access to the world economic system, while a country that embraces freedom and fraternity, South Korea, thrives under the Pax Americana free from interference or economic domination.

This economic power infuriates the leadership of countries with authoritarian and aggressive world views.

Britain controlled the sea lanes for a century and a half from 1805 until 1945, but the British used their power to establish a vast colonial empire which the United States does not possess in the 21st century.

When exactly did the French mentioned in your original post control any sea lanes to support your overarching thesi

Colonial empires are expensive. America doesn't need to formally annex territory and transplant colonists. Instead it can simply control the domestic economy of its client states and call for a coup, assassination, or insurrection at a moment's notice. Any leader who dares chart an independent course will always be vilified by the west, probably called the "next Hitler" or "insane". It's all so predictable.

@ putin

EXACTLY.

@ Putin

precisely, but, besides, Anti-Americanism is not only a matter of leaders. It's deeply ingrained in most of the world population, even when their leaders are thoroughly pro-American. Some times it's nothing personal: in Brazil and most of Latin America lots of people are anti-American but will treat individual Americans visiting pretty kindly.

Fabiobag, you couldn't be more inaccurate in your statement about anti-Americanism in Brazil.
You statement says everything about who you hang out with and nothing about the majority of Brazilians.
The US Congress held hearings on the matter.
Here is a link to the hearing "GLOBAL POLLING DATA ON OPINION OF
AMERICAN POLICIES, VALUES AND PEOPLE"

http://www.internationalrelations.house.gov/110/33821.pdf

The testimony in this hearing and other polling data show without a doubt that in survey after survey positive views of America were decidedly higher than negative views. The Vietnam War, the invasion of Iraq, and other volatile events reduced the margin of American favorability but never have any of the polls shown anything close to a majority hold anti-American views.

It is good to see the minority here on this board self-identify as the fools that they are.
The military and economic force of the United States is the most positive force for global freedom in the history of mankind.

The roots of anti-Americanism lie in partisan politic viewpoints, naked envy, and blind jealousy.

Here are some other groups who have done extensive long-term polling on the issue since the congressional polls focused on the 2005-07 numbers in 20 handpicked countries out of the globes 117 nations.

Deutsches Institut für Volksumfragen
Institute for International Social Research
Instituto de Pesquisas de Opiniao e Mercado
Istituto Italiano dell’Opinione Pubblica
United States Information Agency

All have extensive research on anti-Americanism over time.

The most telling statistic against the argument that anti-Americanism is extensive and the majority opinion.

1.2 million legal and illegal immigrants inter the United States every year, by a wide margin the largest aggregate voluntary immigration in the world.

It's pretty silly to argue that anti-Americanism dominates global opinion when no other country in the world in the voluntary destination of so many people from so many diverse ethnic backgrounds.

This massive immigration also produces large ethnic populations that continually diminish anti-American sentiment among the minority in their own countries because of their relative success in America.

Yeah tell the people of Brazil that America's support of the military junta that ruled it for two decades (and support for the overthrow of the democratically elected Jango government) is part of our "being a positive force for freedom". I'm sure they'll appreciate your pathetic self-congratulations.

America makes the world safe for corporate profits. Authentic democracy is the enemy of capitalism. We've rarely met a junta we didn't like, especially in Latin America.

TC, I'm a little confused about your link. You say, "the testimony in this hearing and other polling data show without a doubt that in survey after survey positive views of America were decidedly higher than negative views. The Vietnam War, the invasion of Iraq, and other volatile events reduced the margin of American favorability but never have any of the polls shown anything close to a majority hold anti-American views". Now, I didn't have time to thoroughly read it, however, since you also referred to the polling data, I did look at that. On page 10, where they have a poll of 26 countries and the projected views of their citizens, 30% say that the US is a positive influence in the world and 51% say it has a negative. They also state that "in 20 of the 26 countries polled, the most common view is that the US is having a mostly negative influence on the world". Now, this doesn't appear to follow through with your statement that "never have any of the polls shown anything close to a majority hold anti-American views". Also, since you say America, and not "the American people", I cannot even use an explanation that the study provides claiming that views towards the American people are generally positive, but negative towards the US. Of course, and should this be the case, much of my confusion should be allayed, you could be referring exclusively to American ideals, which the study says garner widespread support.

In addition, according to the study, the US's handling of the Iraq war and the Israeli-Hezbolah war were seen as very unpopular (on page 13 one can see that 19% approved and 75% disapproved and 20% approved and 68% disapproved respectively), and the US military presence was disapproved by 69% of those polled. Of course, this does not necessarily discredit your opinion that the military force of the US is the greatest force for good in the history of mankind, only that at the time of the study, the majority of the people in the study believed that the policies of the government concerning relatively recent military affairs were poorly handled.

Given the high likelihood of being insulted in your response to my confusion I cannot say that it would be a pleasure, however, it would be interesting to hear the reasoning behind your summation of the article, given the apparent disparity of your statements and the information presented in the piece that I could glean from a short perusal of the polls and their associated information.

The left in academia and the media created the myth of anti-Americanism during the Cold War and perpetuate it to this day despite the massive evidence to the contrary.

Cuba constantly demands an end to the embargo which contradicts directly the Cuba rhetoric that America is evil and its culture decadent.
Forget about the Cubans who seek asylum from Castro's regime annually.

Example after example shows there is no tangible evidence to support claims like Fab's that massive elements of the world's population have ingrained anti-Americanism.

Where is the tangible acts and evidence? Where are the boycotts, the suspensions of trade, the leaving of alliances, the economic and diplomatic isolation that is the manifestation of such claimed attitudes.

Instead we have example after example of the opposite. The NATO alliance with America at the center. If Europe was anti-American the alliance would've died decades ago.

The argument is made that actions like NATO reflect the will of powerful minorities of leaders, but the French rejected NATO and invited West Germany to do the same.
What did the people of West Germany say at the height of the Vietnam War, "Berlin is defended on the Mekong Delta."

German youth immersed themselves in American culture, blue jeans, rock N Roll, and domestic terrorism against the Nazi generation.

Yet the anti-American rhetoric of the left lives on, despite the facts and reality.

Maybe y'all could help me with something.
Any who know me, know I lend no more support to democrats than republicans or liberals more than conservatives. But at least the left pretends. I mean they both fuck us over, but the left will at least lie to you about it. But the right is just so obviously.... I mean just LOOK at this thread. I dont get it. someone please explain it to me. I'm being serious.

phrased better
While mainstream 'right' and 'left' policies end up basically the same (pro-war, pro-corporate, etc.) the rhetoric of each side is markedly different. What makes people support the rhetoric that is overtly.... I dont know... callous? idiotic?
I hope you know what I mean, this isnt just some cheap jab at the right (or left) I really do want an answer

No I know what you mean Sic, I mostly agree that most of the real differences are cosmetic but at least the left demonstrates that they at least *know* what the right thing to do is even if they don't do it. The right comes off as completely disengaged from humanity. lol

The only people I can think of who were completely disengaged from humanity in the modern age are Europeans who visited Imperialism, two World Wars, and The Holocaust on humanity.
You could easily put forward the argument that a minority of Europeans are anti-American because of their refusal to accept responsibility for the sins of their own societies.

thucy +1 yeah there you go, thats what I mean.

as somebody with a Dutch nationality, thanks for accusing me for two world Wars, an Holocaust and Imperialism.

Nice to know that the US never committed genocide, has never been imperialist and took no part in any of these wars. Native Americans, who? Never heard of the Boxer Rebellion. Don't know anything about Cuba or the Philippines. What's this about antisemitism and eugenics?

whoa whoa whoa, its not like america has ever practiced eugenics

Another cause of anti-Americanism besides the envy and jealousy felt in Europe is opposition to women's rights, free speech, and democratic inclusiveness. This thread of anti-Americanism comes mainly from the Arab world.

Another cause of anti-Americanism is legitimate policy differences.
French anti-Americanism has its roots in the disaster at Dien Bien Phu and the Suez Crisis.
The French and Americans had legitimate policy differences in these two episodes that signified the end of France as a world power and Paris has not forgotten.

Dude, how do you exist?
how do you... how are you you?
are you shittin me or what man? Is it just a big joke? If you are practicing your satire I have to say, you sir are top notch.

I used to think TC was just a libertarian, but it seems he's also a nationalist. I hope the Republicans win the election just for the thrill of seeing what his threads would look like with no Obama to rage about.

I personally know people who've been tortured under Brazilian military dictatorship. The US have not only supported it, but also actively plotted the takeover. Main leaders had been trained in the US, allegedly to be imbued with so-called American ideals. We had the chance to see them working.

I have a friend whose father, a musician, was (literally) torn apart by the Chilean military. US plotted to depose a democratically elected President and put those torture-lovers US-trained generals in charge there as well.

As you may see (some won't, I know), reasons for Anti-Americanism are not exactly lacking in Latin America, where direct US military intervention has been pretty scarce in the last two centuries - let alone places like Iraq or Afganistan. Anti-Americanism (here at least) does not imply at all we don't like US citizens, in fact we treat the ones who appear down here pretty well indeed. It's all about using all that power (economic, cultural, military) to impose death and suffering over most of humanity and pretending to be delivering the utmost fruits of Civilization. Things like that anger us a little bit.

I would just like to point out that not all Americans are as ridiculous as TC. While I support my country of course, I also believe we have made mistakes (namely Vietnam, Middle East policy since 1945 and Latin American policy since their independence from Spain). Also, I would just like to point out the fact that Dien Bien Phu was an integral part of the French losing their empire, but they are still a world power, and your case against the French would be better if America had not ALSO LOST IN VIETNAM!

My apologies for my countryman's rants.

Sorry to hear that Fabio. It gives me great hope that there is a rising tide of independent minded leaders in Latin America who are doing good things for their people. To many on here, defending US atrocities is an academic discussion. They gloss over history and ignore the very real human consequences of it. It's an ugly machismo that really nauseates me and every other person with a conscience.

You have my heartfelt solidarity.

Fabio fantasy hour.
Fabio, Brazil is famous for torture. 45% of all Africans imported to the New World went to Brazil to be worked to death on sugar plantations.
Also Brazil didn't end slavery until the late 1880's.
I'm sure that somehow in your fantasies that is all someone else's fault.

How pathetic you are.

Salvadroe Allende and Hitler were both democratically elected and I don't see much difference between them except that Allende was deposed before he could carry out a socialist bloodbath of the opposition in Chile.
Educate yourself Fabio, your ignorance knows no bounds.
Look at Chile today. A close ally of the United States and the most prosperous country in S.America. Thank God Allende was thrown out.

I love the soaring rhetoric that the fantasies rely on "impose death and suffering over most of humanity." LOL!

And Fabio goes to bed at night after living all day in this fantasy world. It just boggles the mind how ignorant human beings can be of reality when it is right in front of them.

TC, you're a disgusting thug. How is Brazil's slavery relevant to the fact that the US tortured people in Brazil, and trained generals to do it all over Latin America? How is Brazil's colonization by Portugal and corresponding slave trade the people of Brazil's fault? Brazil was run by a Portuguese prince until 1888.