America Needs to Look in the Mirror
There is an excellent article by Andrew Moravcsik in Newsweek contrasting the Bushite view of America with how others see us. The writer says the difference is nowhere more apparent than in Bush's inaugural speech, with its over-hyped use of the words freedom and liberty.
For many in the world, the president's rhetoric confirmed their worst fears of an imperial America relentlessly pursuing its narrow national interests. But the greater danger may be a delusional America—one that believes, despite all evidence to the contrary, that the American Dream lives on, that America remains a model for the world, one whose mission is to spread the word.
The gulf between how Americans view themselves and how the world views them was summed up in a poll last week by the BBC. Fully 71 percent of Americans see the United States as a source of good in the world. More than half view Bush's election as positive for global security. Other studies report that 70 percent have faith in their domestic institutions and nearly 80 percent believe "American ideas and customs" should spread globally.
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