Anti-Americanism has been a part of Europe’s cultural identity for 50 years and longer. America’s frequent unilateralism and unfettered support of Israel constitute some of the grievances and concerns from countries around the world that could justify this political phenomenon.
Lately though it has evolved into a cultural bias. Europeans resent America’s ‘cultural imperialism’ and want some respect and some reassurance that they will be treated as allies and partners rather than as satellites. The French, in particular, regard Americanisation as globalisation.
In Greece there is resentment for past frequent American intervention in our political affairs (the US role in the military junta of 1967 and the Turkish occupation of Cyprus in 1974). Traditionally the Left was critical of the United States and its methods. The dissolution of the Soviet Union was a blow to the political ideology of the Left, with additional resurgence of strong anti-Americanism in Greece. But today’s anti-American hysteria from the Left, the Right, the Church and the Mass Media cannot be rationally explained.
In Greece almost everybody instantly acclaimed the 9/11 catastrophe as a well-deserved punishment. The former Head of the Greek Church, the late Archbishop Christodoulos, as well as the General Secretary of the Greek Communist Party, Aleka Papariga, speaking before large audiences exclaimed angrily that the US reaped what they sowed. The attacks were a justified retaliation for the evil done by the United States throughout the world. The Greek Right followed suit with equally vitriolic statements. There are of course some explanations why the Greek Right along with the Church attack the US with such anger. The anti-Americanism of the Right revolves around issues of national identity preservation and conspiracy theory conviction. Unable to develop an alternative ideological platform to combat the simplistic, anti-imperialist slogans of the Left, many Greek conservatives rallied behind the Orthodox Church to blame the Americans for purposefully subverting all indigenous culture in their unstoppable drive for globalisation. The Mass Media too exert a strong and decisive negative influence on public opinion polls. People’s willingness to be misinformed is almost incomprehensible! The truth is that reliable information on the United States has always been easy to obtain.
Pure anti-Americanism (the kind of anti-Americanism that exists in Greece) means a loathing and hatred of all things, and people, American. Anti-Americanism in Greece is designed to demonise the United States as a whole, to portray it as morally equivalent to the Islamic terrorism. These feelings and ideas are prevalent in my country.
Lately though it has evolved into a cultural bias. Europeans resent America’s ‘cultural imperialism’ and want some respect and some reassurance that they will be treated as allies and partners rather than as satellites. The French, in particular, regard Americanisation as globalisation.
In Greece there is resentment for past frequent American intervention in our political affairs (the US role in the military junta of 1967 and the Turkish occupation of Cyprus in 1974). Traditionally the Left was critical of the United States and its methods. The dissolution of the Soviet Union was a blow to the political ideology of the Left, with additional resurgence of strong anti-Americanism in Greece. But today’s anti-American hysteria from the Left, the Right, the Church and the Mass Media cannot be rationally explained.
In Greece almost everybody instantly acclaimed the 9/11 catastrophe as a well-deserved punishment. The former Head of the Greek Church, the late Archbishop Christodoulos, as well as the General Secretary of the Greek Communist Party, Aleka Papariga, speaking before large audiences exclaimed angrily that the US reaped what they sowed. The attacks were a justified retaliation for the evil done by the United States throughout the world. The Greek Right followed suit with equally vitriolic statements. There are of course some explanations why the Greek Right along with the Church attack the US with such anger. The anti-Americanism of the Right revolves around issues of national identity preservation and conspiracy theory conviction. Unable to develop an alternative ideological platform to combat the simplistic, anti-imperialist slogans of the Left, many Greek conservatives rallied behind the Orthodox Church to blame the Americans for purposefully subverting all indigenous culture in their unstoppable drive for globalisation. The Mass Media too exert a strong and decisive negative influence on public opinion polls. People’s willingness to be misinformed is almost incomprehensible! The truth is that reliable information on the United States has always been easy to obtain.
Pure anti-Americanism (the kind of anti-Americanism that exists in Greece) means a loathing and hatred of all things, and people, American. Anti-Americanism in Greece is designed to demonise the United States as a whole, to portray it as morally equivalent to the Islamic terrorism. These feelings and ideas are prevalent in my country.
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