Anti Americanism (Hardcover, 1st English language ed)

After the 9/11 attack on the United States, the brief moment of sympathy for America soon began giving way to blame. In France and other quarters of Europe, and elsewhere in the world, it was said that the Americans had brought this violence upon themselves. The U.S. was a cowboy nation unwilling to abide by the will of the United Nations and other multilateral institutions, and bent on pursuing its objectives at any cost. It was the hyperpower whose corporations manipulated world markets and whose riches are acquired at the price of Third World impoverishment. No wonder it had been attacked Angered by the assault against a nation he knows and admires, the distinguished French intellectual Jean-Francois Revel has come to America's defence in this book, a biting and erudite book that (paradoxically, given his country's specially vehement attacks on the U.S. and its policies) spent several weeks late last year on top of France's best-seller list. Revel believes that what he calls the anti-American obsession is based on a wilful disregard of the most obvious facts of American political and social life, its economic freedom and democratic traditions. He sees much anti-Americanis