- MUST READS
- PRODUCTS
- RESOURCES
- MULTIMEDIA
- ENFACTLOPEDIA
- FSM AUTHORS
- ABOUT US
- CONTACT US
- FSM BLOG
- DONATE
- PRESS COVERAGE
SEARCH FSM
FAQ Challenges #1
1. What has caused the spread of anti-Americanism and what effect can it have on American policies and security?
Americans overwhelmingly believe that the war on terrorism is a justified response to an attack on our homeland and are often surprised to learn that other countries, even our allies, are skeptical of our efforts in support of this war. But because it is not possible for us to win this war on our own, it is important to understand the objections that other countries may have to our actions. Many people simply resent the exercise of American power in a world that they believe is already dominated by the United States. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, we have become the world's only superpower and many countries believe that this imbalance is not only unjust but also dangerous. They believe that predominance by one country must be countered by either developing powerful coalitions as balances or by undermining the sources of that country's strength.
Others believe that the American response to 9/11 was simply unjustified. While few countries seriously opposed the military operations in Afghanistan, the opposition to the war in Iraq was loud and vehement. Many foreign, and some domestic, groups believed our response should have been focused only on those specific individuals who attacked us and should not have expanded to include the broader movement and forces that empowered their destructive actions. Some countries even used the language of peace to cloak selfish financial motivations for opposing the war. The Oil for Food scandal that has become public following the war proved that influential individuals in several countries represented on the UN Security Council had profited greatly by the corruption of Saddam Hussein's government.
Whether anti-Americanism is a response to American policies, American power, or both, it can still derail the American war against radical Islamist ideology. This is a conflict that spans continents and political boundaries and the United States must rely upon the goodwill of foreign governments to supply our national security services with essential information and to allow them to operate on foreign soil. Additionally, if the world community turns on the United States, it decreases our claims to moral legitimacy. Being cast, however incorrectly, as a bully will only demoralize the American people and encourage our enemy. That is why the American people must understand that anti-Americanism is not as much a response to our policies as to our power.
