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America Against the World

America's leading nonpartisan pollster shows how we are different--and how our exceptionalism feeds the rise in anti-Americanism

The precipitous rise in anti-Americanism is startling. To understand why the world has turned against the United States, the Pew Research Center, under the leadership of Andrew Kohut, has undertaken an unprecedented survey of world opinion--more than 91,000 respondents in fifty nations. In America Against the World, Kohut and Bruce Stokes unveil the sobering and surprising findings.

America's image is at a low ebb: where once it was considered the champion of democracy, America is now seen as a self-absorbed, militant hyperpower. More than 70 percent of non-Americans say that the world would be improved if America faced a rival military power, and about half the citizens of Lebanon, Jordan, and Morocco think that suicide attacks on Americans in Iraq are justified.

Where does this anti-Americanism come from? Kohut and Stokes find that what pushed the world away is American exceptionalism--our individualism and our go-it-alone attitude. And it doesn't help that Americans' pervasive religiosity and deep patriotism are often exaggerated by America's critics.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright argues in her foreword that we cannot stop the spread of anti-Americanism without truly understanding who we are. America Against the World provides the insight to take that step.

Quotes

"If you've been wondering why the rest of the world often misunderstands, dislikes, and even fears the United States, this book offers convincing answers. Andrew Kohut, Bruce Stokes, and their colleagues have done impressive original research and produced truly arresting insights."
- Doyle McManus, Washington Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times

"At a time when America needs international support more than ever, Andrew Kohut and Bruce Stokes explain why the United States is distinct and sometimes disliked. Rather than rely on conjecture, they use international surveys to answer these critical questions. Anyone worried about America's place in the world will find new evidence and unconventional answers in this well-written book."
- Joseph S. Nye, Jr., author of Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics

"By holding up two mirrors--how we Americans look to ourselves and how we look to others--Andrew Kohut and Bruce Stokes hit us with a reality full of surprises, comforting and unsettling insights, and a full meal for policymakers and the rest of us to digest or pay the consequences. Very carefully and fairly analyzed, this is a truly important book."
- Leslie H. Gelb, president emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations

Author Biography
Andrew Kohut is the director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, the leading nonpartisan polling organization in America. He is a frequent commentator for PBS and NPR and a regular essayist for The New York Times. He lives in Washington, D.C. Bruce Stokes is the international economics columnist for National Journal and a consultant to the Pew Global Attitudes Project. A former senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, he lives in Washington, D.C.

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