ENGLISH

America Right or Wrong: An Anatomy of American Nationalism

By Anatol Lieven

Book information

Year
2005
ISBN
019530005X, 9780195300055
Open Library ID
OL7392565M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
18 MB (18486161 bytes)
Pages
288\289
Time added
2011-06-04 13:46:07

Description

In this controversial critique of American political culture and its historical roots, Anatol Lieven contends that U.S. foreign policy since 9/11 has been shaped by the special character of our nationalism. Within that nationalism, Lieven analyses two very different traditions. One is the "American thesis," a civic nationalism based on the democratic values of what has been called the "American Creed." These values are held to be universal, and anyone can become an American by adopting them. The other tradition, the "American antithesis" is a populist and often chauvinist nationalism, which tends to see America as a closed national culture and civilization threatened by a hostile and barbarous outside world.With America Right or Wrong, Lieven examines how these two antithetical impulses have played out in U.S. responses to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and in the nature of U.S. support for Israel. This hard-hitting critique directs a spotlight on the American political soul and on the curious mixture of chauvinism and idealism that has driven the Bush administration.

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