For many Americans, anti-Americanism was once a topic solely of interest to some diplomats and academics, a phenomenon thought to be confined to a few distant and radical countries. The United States was, its citizens believed, loved and admired throughout most of the world for her democratic values.

This seemed especially likely to be true in the aftermath of the half-century-long Cold War, which ended in 1990 with the collapse of the Soviet Union and its empire. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the apparent gratitude of those liberated from Communism, and the spread of democracy to Eastern Europe seemed the utmost vindication of the principles for which Americans had fought for so long.

At first, the events of September 11, 2001, when over 3000 people were killed in direct terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, seemed likely to further a pro-American trend. Of course, it was horrifying to perceive the intense hatred of the United States that had inspired these actions. Yet surely the global revulsion to an essentially unprovoked assault of this nature was spreading a wave of pro-American sentiment almost everywhere.

Soon, however, it became clear that many of the reactions to this event were almost as disturbing as the attack itself. Although many in the world sympathized with America this response was often accompanied by reservations. Even worse, many others responded by suggesting that the United States somehow deserved it.

Such sentiments were not only expressed in the Arab or Muslim world but also by many influential individuals and public opinion polls in European countries which Americans considered to be allies. This anti-Americanism only increased as America sent troops to Afghanistan, to catch the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks and their protectors, and prepared for a war in Iraq that ultimately took place in 2003.

Understanding the roots and depths of such anti-Americanism suddenly became a top national priority, a task taken up by this book.