America Right or Wrong: An Anatomy of American Nationalism

by Anatol Lieven

Book Overview

In this controversial critique of American political culture and its historical roots, Anatol Lieven contends that U.S. foreign policy since 9/11 has been shaped by the special character of our nationalism. Within that nationalism, Lieven analyses two very different traditions. One is the "American thesis," a civic nationalism based on the democratic values of what has been called the "American Creed." These values are held to be universal, and anyone...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 019530005X
• ISBN13: 9780195300055
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

a book that serves absolutely America's and the world's interests

Once every five or ten years a brilliant synthesis of the published literature comes along and mixes it with profound analyses and insights to describe courageously diplomatic and political realities in such manner that its truth becomes a work of aesthetics and self-sustaining persuasion. Lieven's book bids for this accolade. Starting with an excellent summary of America's nationalistic mood resulting from 9/11, Lieven summarizes the nature and types of nationalisms and then rapidly connects many of the negative aspects of America's nationalism to the ones pulsating through Europe before World War I. While doing so, he never loses balance and does not neglect the commendable civilizing aspects of America's Creed. Balance and proportion are quite well sustained throughout the book. Weaving smoothly back and forth between current events and the positions of pundits and politicians and historical ones, even beyond Europe, he brilliantly connects disparate events into a meaningful whole and then extracts meaning. As only one of many examples, Jacksonian nationalism and its brutal manifestations of the ethnic cleansing of the Creeks, etc. is presumably derived from the religio-ethnically inspired Scot-Irish "extermination" of the Gaelic-Irish. While there are incontestable civilizing elements to America's nationalism, there are also dangerous and destructive ingredients, a sort of Hegelian thesis and antithesis theme which places a strong question mark in America's historical theme of exceptionalism. Unlike in other post-World War II nations, America's nationalism is permeated by values and religious elements derived mostly from the South and the Southern Baptists, though the fears and panics of the embittered heartland provide additional fuel. While discussing "Jacobin Internationalism", "Wolfy Wilsonians", Nativism, racism in the South, Irish Catholics, the Christian Right, Fundamentalists, Millenarians, etc. Lieven expertly brings historical facts and figures into contact with current ones to illuminate and paint the grand tapestry of America's contemporary nationalism. Lieven's book, among other elements, is also a summation of lots of minor observations--even personal ones he made as a student in the small town of Troy, Alabama--and historical details which reflect the grand evolution of America's nationalism. When he says that "an unwillingness or inability among Americans to question the country's sinlessness feeds a culture of public conformism," then he has the support of Mark Twain who said something to the effect that we are blessed with three things in this country, freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and, thirdly, the common sense to practice neither one! Ditto when he daringly points out America's "hypocrisy," which also is corroborated by other scholars, among them James Hillman in his recent book "A Terrible Love of War" in which he characterizes hypocrisy as quintessentially American. Lieven continues with the impact of t

Excellent short survey of America today

This is an excellent short survey of America and it's problems with the world. Author notes a more then passing resemblance between us and Germany prior to WWI (powerful nation looking for an excuse to shoot someone, absence of dialogue about national aims and purpose). This isn't the first time America has gone nutty, and in the past it's corrected itself. Author's fear is what happens if it doesn't, particularly given the likelyhood of another 9/11. History suggests a poor fate for countries unwilling to live with everyone else.

The shadow side of American nationalism

Nationalism was always a volative mixture, witness its history, yet the American variety was granted the good fortune of benign realizations in a civic creed that might show an example to the world in a mood of universalism. Yet as the author of this cogent diagnosis of current ills notes there is a shadow side to the American brand, and this has been evoked into the open by the precipitous and unthinking actions of the new century. And the result has been the opposite of what was intended as the squandered reputation of a flagship democracy is denounced almost universally for its imperialism. This acute diagnostic history also broaches the soured relationship of this to the American-Israeli nexus where the tone of ethnic nationalism doubly braided in both has soured altogether the prospect of America's world leadership. In the tradition of French commentators since Tocqueville, Lieven proceeds with tact to try to wake the situation up, and the result is better than the usual op-ed fare. A wake-up call. Cf. NY Review of Books revoew, Feb 2005

An Exceptional Book for Americans to Consider

Anatol Lieven has written an exceptional book that should be read by anyone concerned with the direction this country is going in, and more importantly, why it is going in such a radically conservative one. Lieven focuses his book on the American Thesis and Antithesis. The American Thesis, also called the American Creed, is the quasi-religious belief in democracy, freedom and individuality, and the universality of those beliefs. In other words, America is a special country, the shining "City on the Hill," and the "New Israel." And anyone who wants to come to this country, works hard, and strives to succeed will almost certainly be able to. The Antithesis is just that, the opposite of the American Creed. The Antithesis is the irrational fear of others, paranoia, and overt aggression and violence that grip many Americans when they are under attack, real or perceived. This view is often viewed through the lense of an idealized, often mythic, American past, before foreigners were allowed to come into the country and pollute its land. Whether it was Irish Catholics 100 years ago or Muslim American today, the paranoid fear of others could have ugly manifestations. The one weakness of this book, in his discussion of Israel's place in America, Lieven spends too much time discussing the details of the Israel/Palestine conflict. While valuable, it does not fit with the flow of the rest of the book. This book should be read by all who are curious about American nationalism and its relation to the rest of the world. This is an important book, and should be widely read.

An oustanding overview, particularly for non-Americans

This is one of the best non-academic treatments of American history, culture, and foreign policy I have ever read. I can't recommend this book enough. Lieven does a great job interweaving American history, politics, and culture and its relationship to globalization and international relations. There is no better book for understanding America's current "anatomy" than this one. Lieven's perspective is critical, although not overly so. (in other words, "liberal" by American standards, "centrist" by non-US standards) For those around the world looking to understand what seems to many "outsiders" an inexplicable "right turn" in the trajectory of the American nation, this is the place to start.