Hating the U.S.
March 29th, 2007 by Michael van der Galien
Ed Morrissey has an interesting post over at his blog Captain’s Quarters about anti-Americanim in Germany, based on this article in Der Spiegel. In short, Germans consider the U.S. to be “a greater threat to world peace than Iran.”
Ed comments:
I’m not going to claim that America has never made a foreign-policy error, but the notion that we represent a greater threat to peace than the main terrorist-sponsoring state in the world is nothing short of breathtakingly stupid. And Malzahn has this analyzed perfectly: it’s safe to hate America. We don’t set off bombs in discotheques or mass in front of embassies whenever anyone insults us or our leadership.
But the Germans really should know better. For decades, we stood guard on the freedom of most of Germany, putting American lives on the line to keep the Soviets from overrunning the rest of their country. We rebuilt their nation after their defeat in the last world war, and we have maintained European security even after the end of the Cold War. If anyone should understand the efforts we have made in keeping totalitarianism and terrorism at bay, it should be the Germans.
As Claus Christian Malzahn points out in his essay (Der Spiegel), the German political establishment is largely responsible for this growing anti-American sentiment in Germany. Opposition to the U.S. has become something like government, or at least campaign policy. From that essay:
For us Germans, the Americans are either too fat or too obsessed with exercise, too prudish or too pornographic, too religious or too nihilistic. In terms of history and foreign policy, the Americans have either been too isolationist or too imperialistic. They simply go ahead and invade foreign countries (something we Germans, of course, would never do) and then abandon them, the way they did in Vietnam and will soon do in Iraq.
Worst of all, the Americans won the war in 1945. (Well, with German help, of course — from Einstein and his ilk.) There are some Germans who will never forgive the Americans for VE Day, when they defeated Hitler. After all, Nazism was just an accident, whereas Americans are inherently evil. Just look at President Bush, the man who, as some of SPIEGEL ONLINE’s readers steadfastly believe, “is worse than Hitler.” Now that gives us a chance to kill two birds with one stone. If Bush is the new Hitler, then we Germans have finally unloaded the Führer on to someone else. In fact, we won’t even have to posthumously revoke his German citizenship, as politicians in Lower Saxony recently proposed. No one can hold a candle to our talent for symbolism!
Bush worse than Hitler.
Some Germans actually believe that.
That can, of course, mean two things:
1- those individuals don’t know much about Hitler / exaggerate what America does
2- they don’t consider what Hitler did necessarily bad
Anyway, back to the anti-Americanism of the majority of the German people (obviously, it’s not the majority of Germans that believes that Bush is worse than Hitler):
Anti-Americanism is the wonder drug of German politics. If no one believes what you’re saying, take a swing at the Yanks and you’ll be shooting your way back up to the top of the opinion polls in no time. And on the practical side, you can be the head of the Social Democratic Party and endear yourself to the party’s hardcore with a load of anti-American nonsense, and still get invited back to Washington — just look at Gerhard Schröder. In fact, you could, like leading German politicians in the debate over the planned American missile shield in Europe, be accused of having “an almost unbelievable lack of knowledge” by a former NATO general, and even that wouldn’t matter. It’s all about what you believe, not what you know.
Anti-Americanism is hypocrisy at its finest. You can spend your evening catching the latest episode of “24″ and then complain about Guantanamo the next morning. You can claim that the Americans have themselves to blame for terrorism, while at the same time calling for tougher restrictions on Muslim immigration to Germany. You can call the American president a mass murderer and book a flight to New York the next day. You can lament the average American’s supposed lack of culture and savvy and meanwhile send off for the documents for the Green Card lottery.
I recognize quite a lot of what Claus Christian Malzahn writes: I think that it’s not just Germany that’s becoming more and more (irrationally) anti-America. The same thing is happening in the Netherlands and probably just about every other Western European nation. The hypocrisy is quite amusing at times though. Recently, someone said during a class “won’t those Americans ever learn?”, to which I answered “why, have we? We only do something when it’s in our own best interest.”
The notion that Americans have a long history of invading countries when it’s more convenient is alive and kicking as well, or so it seems. America as the aggressor. Bush, it has to be said, re-affirmed that prejudice: Americans are cowboys who shoot before thinking (things through). Bill Clinton was, in that regard, better for America’s image (although quite some Dutch probably considered Clinton to be the exception on the rule).
This entry was posted on Thursday, March 29th, 2007 at 8:05 am and is filed under Anti-Americanism, Germany, George W. Bush, Iraq. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
March 29th, 2007 at 9:02 am
Which country is more capable of initiating a nuclear holocaust: US or Iran?
Which country has more damagingly invaded a few countries in the last 10-20 years?
I think we do ourselves a disservice to not even understand why people might consider our policies warily. To an impartial observer, whether we are right or wrong, we’re still the more dangerous simply because of the magnitude of our deeds and capabilities.
March 29th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Much of this is a consequence of America’s emergence as the world’s lone superpower. During the Cold War many Germans were horrified at Reagan’s open discussion of the winnability of a nuclear war in Europe. But that didn’t translate into hatred for Helmut Kohl. Same went for Thatcher in the UK. The US - whether led by conservative Republicans or liberal Democrats - stood for Western Europe against the Soviet East. Without the Soviet threat, Western Europeans see no reason for America’s continuing influence or leadership. And Rumsfeld’s open mockery of “Old Europe” didn’t help matters; in fact, it went over as well as would French interference in an election in Alabama.
March 29th, 2007 at 9:52 am
I will make a prediction. I believe that a Democrat will be elected President, and that both houses will remain in Democratic control, at least for the first full term.
As we go back to a more ‘diplomacy-based, consensus-building’ foreign policy, and re-subjugate our national interests to the thugocracies that control the UN, another change will occur.
All these terrorist activities, which have remained offshore, will start occurring here, and in England, and in other direct allies of ours. Everyone will blame Bush for the years of resentment built up during his administration, while carefully ignoring the fact that they didn’t tend to attack us or our allies when they are afraid of retaliation.
It is easy to forget that prior to 9/11, Bush himself was suspect on how strongly he could or would react, and the terrorists themselves have admitted they were surprised by his resolve and reaction.
And say what you will about Irag and Afghanistan, but war by proxy in another country is preferable to direct conflict on our shores.
March 29th, 2007 at 9:56 am
And when it’s the right war (Afghanistan), the country agrees.
March 29th, 2007 at 10:15 am
Hold it Hold it Hold it… Just because Bush is not burning jews, he has no right to rule over so many people that didnt voted for him
these stupid wars have an impact on the whole world
and who is fighting wars ever since the second world war ended?
ONLY THE US
so think about that
im not for any iranian guy, i just dont want any more war.. and yes… its in the hand of our mighty worldruler georgi
March 29th, 2007 at 10:18 am
something else
everytime we germans get told that we should have learned something from the past
and yes we did
war is not good
maybe our politicians dont see it that way, but germany is the most peace loving country in the world
we dont want to happen something like this again
so stop war
March 29th, 2007 at 10:57 am
German,
“…….he has no right to rule over so many people that didn’t vote for him.�
Ah, yes, yes he does. That’s what elections are for. Part of the social contract we agree to here in the U.S. is that once someone is elected, he “rules� until someone else is elected.
As to Lessons Learned, perhaps a more accurate lesson would be:
Losing a war is not good.
Fortunately, the portion of Germany that ended up under U.S. control was rebuilt and nurtured to form a non-aggressive, productive, open society.
This is the same goal Bush sought for Iraq when he stated that it was time to “change the dynamic� in the Mideast.
Oh, you’re welcome.
March 29th, 2007 at 11:00 am
I’ve heard about this before, and it seems to be a generational divide.
Americans who have visited Germany say the older, WWII generation seems friendly towards Americans, while the younger generation–Germany’s equivalent of the ‘baby boomers’–is not. Ironically, the latter is much more likely to be fluent in English than the former.
Which leads to some interesting situations. I know a couple who visited Germany in the 80’s and were trying to find their way around. The young people proved very unhelpful, and the older people helpful but unable to communicate effectively. One elderly German women kept smiling and giving them chocolates in answer to their questions, but couldn’t tell them which train to catch!
I believe they finally got directions from an American soldier. But at least they weren’t spit on, like I’ve heard from others who’ve visited Germany.
March 29th, 2007 at 11:13 am
The Germans are chronically retarded politically. They actually enjoyed the Berlin Wall and were nonplussed when Reagan and the Pope connived to bring it down.
This is the collection of murderous dunces who elected Hitler to power and foisted two world wars on the 20th century.
The whole country is stuck on stupid.
March 29th, 2007 at 11:25 am
It isn’t only the Germans that feel this way. W wasted his good will after 9-11, now most people throughout the world hold him in low esteem.
March 29th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Dave,
I really don’t think “stupid� is the correct term.
Germans (like most Europeans) see themselves as part of the “collective�. There is precious little in their history that glamorized or rewarded the individualism so prevalent here in the U.S.
March 29th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Can’t we all just agree that stupidity is rampant among politicians and people regardless of nation?
March 29th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
JWest
“Stupid” is strong, but I lived in France for a long time and learned German at a good level [2R/2S State-rated] and visited there numerous times, hanging out in bars to get the feel of things. I know that that ain’t great unless you’re fluent—as I am [was] in French. I actually named my daughter after the daughter of a high-ranking German diplomat who remains a friend. I’m also of partial German ancestry, so this is not payback for the Holocaust. I simply regard them as hopelessly unsophisticated compared to other political cultures I have lived in.
You are correct about the “collective impulse” driving a relatively homogeneous society like the Germans. The French are a bit lacking in the same, but match the world in the chauvinism department.
The problem hinges a great deal on the generally leftist pitch of the international press, from the IHT, whose diplomatic editor was my boss, to Der Spiegel and Le Monde and the Guardian. They are all deeply invested in Marxian ideology and have an instinctive detestation of the USA left over from the Cold War Days when Euro-Communism was being touted from the newsrooms and editorial boards inferentially and implicitly throughout the continent.
The fact that the Euro birth rate is below replacement except in the Christian enclaves remaining, and the inability to manage and assimilate hordes of immigrants who detest European civilization both do not bode well for the political elites looking down their noses at the USA.
March 29th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Dave,
On further reflection and after considering your argument, I’m forced to concede the point.
“Stupid� hit the nail on the head.
I was trying for formulate a new explanation that equated German sentiment to the U.S. with penis envy, but stupid did the same job much more eloquently.
When our Bavarian friend returns to the thread, we’ll give a good old fashion American (verbal) slap up side his head.
March 29th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
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March 29th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
I missed Sam’s comment before posting my riposte. Yes, Bush [and Cheney] were colossally stupid to allow a nitwit like L. Paul [Jerry] Bremer to be the American Proconsul in Iraq [although Cobra II says that originally Khalilizad was slated to be Bremer’s partner, he was vetoed by Rumsfeld on Bremer’s urgings]. For GWB to allow a former Amb to Netherlands and notorious suck-up [I knew him while an FSO] to oversee a fragmented mess like Iraq employing Bremer’s WWII Lucius Clay analogy demonstrates profound STUPIDITY on a catastrophic level. The US won the war and lost the peace as soon as the looting started and Rummie had the Oil Ministry surrounded while he let the crooks and criminals rampage…… I actually met Rumsfeld and my best man was his asst. while Rummie was Amb to the Middle East under Reagan.
My FSO pal summed Rumsfeld up—-a total inside-the-Beltway player with no interest in nor understanding of the Middle East. A complete money and power machine. And GWB entrusted his presidency to this very vertically-challenged [about 5′6″] strutting martinet with an attitude [Saddam let him cool his heels for an hour in ‘83 and the dwarf wanted payback.
So Sam has a point—though not even Rumsfeld and Cheney are as venal as sock-puppet for Putin Schroeder or Oil-for-Food benefactor Chirac. These guys are simple pay-to-play power jockeys.
March 29th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
German:
Just remember, It also took a war to stop Hitler, was that war wrong as well?
In the long run, I don’t think we need to worry about this anti-American sentiment, because it really hangs on anti-Bush sentiment. Even most of the Republican candidates for 2008 are must less unilaterally minded. The election will probably result in a fairly significant policy shift for the US, regardless of which party wins. That will take a lot of the bluster out of the anti-US movement.
Iran on the other hand, will continue to the ruled by pretty much the exact same group of people for the foreseeable future, which hopefully means they will be receiving a healthy dose of international outrage starting maybe 2009.
March 29th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Do you find Bush’s mindset to be that Unamerican?
March 29th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
I think there’s certainly a segment of the US population he resonated with, or he wouldn’t have been reelected, but I think of it as a caricature of the true national sentiment. There are nationalist sentiments in just about every country and I think the US has been quite a bit humbled by our failure in Iraq.
March 29th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Yes, the US will think long and hard the next time a situation like Iraq in 2002 presents itself. But anyone who knew how the sanctions were about to be lifted and Saddam unleashed to wreak vengeance because of a toothless feckless UN which refused to enforce its 17 UNSC resolutions worried about Iraq. Pollack certainly made a cogent case, though he has artfully dodged backward and sideways from his original arguments, as the Bush strategy after the Fall of Baghdad spiraled downward.
The incompetence of the Proconsul Days was breathtaking, though the State Dept people who might have at least UNDERSTOOD what was going on had been fired along with Gen. Barker just days after Baghdad fell.
No local expertise was required, as Rumsfeld convinced Bush/Cheney that he needed “fresh thinking” and fired the State experts and any other Arabists in order to completely take control of the ensuing debacle.
Rumsfeld is/was the worst Secretary of Defense the US has ever had, and I hope that historians bury him with that as his epitaph.
March 29th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
A lot of Americans think that Bush is worse than Hitler. Personally, he reminds me more of Kaiser Wilhelm. Or Akhenaton.
March 29th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
The anti-Americanism goes too far, is unfair and is used as a shield against acknowledging their own shortcomings.
This is all ture, but we also have to acknowledge the legitimate part of their gripes.
After two World Wars, in turn following centuries of warring for a variety of reasons, one major reason for establishing the EU was to create a war-less zone. The US has fought most of its wars outside its borders and lacks the historic impact of wars that descend where you live. It’s one thing to fear for your soldiers, it’s another to fear for your children as bombs burst on your house.
The impact of their different collective memory has to be acknowledged, I think. Having experienced one war up close and personal, I’m sure the experience influences my caution about letting the dogs of war loose.
Then came Iraq, and the US, not only did not heed warnings, but were outraged that all of Europe didn’t fall into step with us. Remember Freedon Fries?
Now that the those opposing the war feel vindicated, there is a bit of revenge gloating going on. But most of all, the contacts I have in Europe express a genuine fear of the effects of the Iraq war. Since it was the US who insisted on it, it’s not too far fetched that their fear would turn into an angry anti-US sentiment.
April 5th, 2007 at 7:10 pm
German Says on March 29th that the USA is the only country waging war since WWII. Perhaps this is a good example of the statement in the article that German cultural racism may be due in part to their ignoring certain facts. Facts are that these countries also fought wars after WWII:
Soviet Union (and enslaved several entire countries and funneled arms to marxist groups everywhere)
Iran, Irag, North Korea, China, South Korea, Syria, Egypt, Cuba (several times), Angola, Nicaraguan Marxists, Salvadorean Marxists, Colombian Marxists, Argentina, Great Britain, France (let’s not forget their egregious activity in Algeria, Vietnam, Cambodia), Libya, United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, Italy, Cambodia (let’s not forget the internal genocide)…there are several more, but I believe the point of selective amnesia is now obvious.