America: Sovereign Defender Or Cowboy Nation?

Following the 9/11 attacks on America, the initial 'flood of sympathy' for America's tragedy soon dried up and was followed by a wide range of opinions. The assessments of the events and the actions undertaken by Washington have become increasingly polarized. Some opinion leaders maintained that a sovereign nation has the right to defend itself whereas others deemed the USA a 'cowboy' nation - quick-tempered and bent on unilateralism. Overall, the reactions to the events in the United States and its actions since 2001 revealed an incredible amount of information about the domestic, political and cultural influences that determined support and sympathy as well as criticism and animosity toward the United States and its policies. Scholars representing seven countries are brought together in this exceptional volume to examine the origins of both anti- and pro-American attitudes within the framework of external causes (the actions of the USA abroad) versus internal causes (the domestic political, ideological, cultural, and psychological characteristics of foreign countries). Offering a fresh view of a contemporary issue, the volume is well-suited for class use as a supplementary reader for foreign policy studies, comparative politics, media, political sociology and history.