Anti-Americanism, often
Anti-American sentiment, is opposition or hostility toward the
government,
culture, or
people of the
United States.
[1] In practice, a broad range of
attitudes and
actions critical of or opposed to the United States have been labelled anti-Americanism and the applicability of the term is often disputed. Contemporary examples typically focus on
international opposition to United States policy, though
historically the term has been applied to a variety of concepts.
Interpretations of anti-Americanism have often been
polarised. It has been described as a belief
[2] that configures the United States and the American way of life as threatening at their core.
[3] However, it has also been suggested that Anti-Americanism cannot be isolated as a consistent phenomenon and that the term merely signifies a rough composite of
stereotypes,
prejudices and
criticisms towards Americans or the United States.
[4]
Whether sentiment hostile to the United States reflects reasoned evaluation of specific policies and administrations, rather than a prejudiced
belief system, is a further complication. Globally, increases in perceived anti-American attitudes appear to correlate with particular policies,
[5] such as the
Vietnam and
Iraq[6] wars. For this reason, critics often argue the label is a
propaganda item that is used to dismiss any censure of the United States as irrational.
[7]