Why do people hate America and Americans? The essays in Volume One explore various possible causes, such as American multi-national corporations, America's stance on the environment and the promotion of American values abroad. When did anti-American feeling start and how has it changed through history? Volume Two examines key periods from the founding fathers to the Cold War and the War Against Terror. What forms does anti-Americanism take in countries round the world? Volume Three surveys different sorts of anti-American feeling in a range of countries and regions from the Middle East to Latin America, from Western Europe to the Far East, and from Russia to North America itself. Why is anti-Americanism currently so strong? Essays in the fourth volume examine key themes and flashpoints: the 'Bush Doctrine', the Iraq War, the rise of Islamic Fundamentalism, US relations with the UN, and many others.
This multi-volume set aims to become the definitive contribution to the field of anti-American studies. Each volume concentrates on a particular theme; each 10,000-word article, written by an international expert, addresses a particular question. Taken together, they deal at length and in depth with a phenomenon which is frequently but unreflectingly mentioned in the media. Many essays explore the contradictions and paradoxes of anti-Americanism - for example the impact of American pop culture, which is consumed at a startling rate around the globe while also remaining a source of much anxiety and criticism. They also look beyond political and national traditions of anti-Americanism (in Socialism or the Environmental Movement, in France and the US itself) and to traditions in literature, foreign cartooning and the tabloid press. The final volume of essays focuses on the contemporary situation, suggesting reasons for the current wave of anti-American feeling, including the policies of George W. Bush, the relentless spread of American business and culture, the American push for democracy (often seen as forced and hypocritical), America's pursuit of a war against Iraq, America's record of supporting dictators and being involved in clandestine wars, and others.