America Against the World

"Using a wealth of domestic and international polling data, Kohut and Stokes ask just how exceptional Americans are and examine the impact of this exceptionalism on world opinion. Overall, they find that Americans are unique but not uniquely unique—that is, the differences of opinion between Americans and others on a range of topics (happiness, religious conviction, and individualism, among others) are striking but not shocking. Because liberal and democratic values have been in the ascendancy since the nineteenth century, Kohut and Stokes argue, Americans are less out of step with the global mainstream than they were a century ago. The most significant differences between Americans and others have to do with individualism: whether from red or blue states, Americans tend to be more optimistic than most people about their ability to shape their own lives and more pessimistic about both the propriety and the efficacy of using government action to solve social problems. As individualists, Americans tend to be skeptical of organizations like the United Nations; as optimists, they underestimate the dangers and obstacles that lie ahead. These attitudes, Kohut and Stokes suggest, are likely to create enduring problems as long as the most individualistic people on the planet continue to bear the greatest responsibility for solving problems that demand united global action. Kohut and Stokes make a strong case for this central contention, and the results of their global surveys and their interpretative essays make for interesting and enlightening reading."—Foreign Affairs

"If you've been wondering why the rest of the world often misunderstands, dislikes, and even fears the United States, this book offers convincing answers. Andrew Kohut, Bruce Stokes, and their colleagues have done impressive original research and produced truly arresting insights."—Doyle McManus, Washington Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times

"At a time when America needs international support more than ever, Andrew Kohut and Bruce Stokes explain why the United States is distinct and sometimes disliked. Rather than rely on conjecture, they use international surveys to answer these critical questions. Anyone worried about America's place in the world will find new evidence and unconventional answers in this well-written book."—Joseph S. Nye, Jr., author of Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics

"By holding up two mirrors—how we Americans look to ourselves and how we look to others—Andrew Kohut and Bruce Stokes hit us with a reality full of surprises, comforting and unsettling insights, and a full meal for policymakers and the rest of us to digest or pay the consequences. Very carefully and fairly analyzed, this is a truly important book."—Leslie H. Gelb, president emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations

"More than 70 percent of non-Americans think the world would be better off if there were another superpower to keep the U.S. in check. The Pew Research Center lends its reputation for nonpartisanship to the largest survey of world opinion aimed at learning why Americans have become so disliked abroad. Pew director Kohut and international economist Stokes examine the opinions of 91,000 respondents in 50 nations to explore the image change of the U.S. from champion of freedom and land of opportunity to world bully and exploiter. Kohut and Stokes examine the notion of American exceptionalism that has dominated world opinion since Alexis de Tocqueville and more current concerns about President Bush's unilateral approach in the war on terrorism since 9/11. They explore differences in American values versus those of other nations, how globalization affects concerns about the effect of American culture and policy on other nations, and what growing worldwide disapproval and even fear of the U.S. holds for the future. Not merely a dry, statistical account but a fascinating—and troubling—look at how the rest of the world views us."—Vanessa Bush, Booklist (starred review)

"Bad news. Reaching out to 91,000 respondents in 50 nations, the Pew Research Center (directed by Kohut) determined that America is seen as a monster military power—70 percent said we need a superpower rival to get us under control. Kohut argues further that our stubborn individualism has pushed us away from the rest of the globe. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information."—Library Journal

"Democrats are from Europe; Republicans are from Mars; nobody in the world likes immigrants; and George Bush's America has a major image problem. Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, and Pew consultant Stokes describe the results of a worldwide opinion poll involving 91,000 interviews in 50 countries from 2002 to 2005. Anti-American sentiment was widespread before 9/11, they observe, but outside of the Arab world it was generally the minority view; in this regard, they give the sitting president a pass, noting that 'strains between the United States and its old allies, and indeed between America and the rest of the world, predated George W. Bush.' Yet in the wake of 9/11, and particularly since the invasion of Iraq, anti-Americanism has become the majority view in most of the world, and throughout Europe America is seen as more dangerous than Iran. The reasons are many, including contempt for the tawdriness of American consumer culture and for the fundamentalist tilt of the government, but there's more to it than all that: People are tired of hearing how different and superior we are (and Pew polls reveal that the least exceptional Americans believe in American exceptionalism). Canadian scholar Michael Ignatieff enumerates other reasons, all of which figure in the survey results: Majorities across the world despise capital punishment; America's disregard for the poor; a president they believe attained office unjustly in 2000; a culture that hates the thought of gay marriage but divorces on a dime; and America's God-obsessed people—and they worry that Americans as a class are greedy, dishonest and violent. Interestingly, Kohut and Stokes note, Democratsare far more likely to hold 'European' views than are Republicans—but even they are likely to subscribe to exceptionalism. A fascinating and troubling index. The good news: The new America is broadly disliked in America, too. Keep your eyes on the polls."—Kirkus Reviews

"It has become a media axiom that anti-Americanism is on the rise around the world, and though the foreign policies of George W. Bush are often cited as a motivating factor, it seems reasonable that there must be more to the animosity than one president's actions. Kohut, the director of the Pew Research Center, teams up with NPR commentator Stokes to present the results of an extensive Pew survey that polled more than 91,000 people in 50 nations to come up with an explanation that, when you strip away the extensive charts and tables, boils down to this: they hate us because we're different. But, Kohut and Stokes suggest, we're also misunderstood. People in other nations believe that America's unilateralism is motivated by hyperintense nationalism and religiosity, but polling data suggests most Americans don't feel that way—far from wanting to create a global empire, they're not even enthusiastic about bringing democracy to other nations. Though detailed, the survey results contain few real surprises, and the approach, which borders on wonkish, may have trouble finding its way to a general audience."—Publishers Weekly