Behind The Times

Kari Travis | Managing Editor

Why does the world hate America? Hmm . . . nothing like a loaded question to make an explanation difficult. But let's tackle it from another angle.

The question isn't "Why does the world hate America?" Rather, it is "When has the world ever loved an empire?"

The answer? Never.

If we pull out the history books and examine the perceptions of weaker world powers who are caught in the shadow of the world's greater, governing forces, the line of reasoning become surprisingly clear. A major world power is something like a bully on the playground. It gives the little kids something to unite against.

Think about the attitude of those under the rule of the Greek, Roman or even British empires. Do you think countries and cultures were likely to be fan followings of those global playground bullies that forcibly influenced, governed or directly ruled without allowing rights for non-citizens?

Unless your own history textbook includes some radically different accounts than those that are generally considered factual, the answer is "absolutely not."

Since this is a personal topic, let's consider a personal example. Great Britain was an empire that, at its peak, was the largest the world ever saw. We won't get into the frightening specifics of British rule here, but it is important to remember that, once upon a time, there existed 13 colonies in North America which served a pivotal role in Britain's powerhold. Ironically, the American colonies didn't end up liking their ruling empire all that much. And as it turns out, the colonists ended up overthrowing the rule of their British government.

But you already knew this, so let's get to the point.

The reason for the American overthrow of Great Britain had much to do with the imperial nature of the government. It was time to set our own standards for rule and to form a just democracy. This new government gave us roots to become one of the strongest forces in the world.

And it set us up to commit some of the same infractions we fought against in the first place.

The first consideration to make here is America's track record. In a detailed biography of America's interference in global affairs, international relations expert and journalist Stephen Kinzer details the often violent political overthrows that America has engineered in countries around the globe. Marks on America's record include the takeover of Hawaii, followed by the deposition of the Hawaiian monarchy, as well as covert actions against Iran, Guatemala and South Vietnam.

Oh, and let's not forget our most recent geo-political actions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Now don't misunderstand the presentation of the facts. This column is not a rant for or against America. But our record is our record, and the logical conclusion here is that meddling in other countries' affairs is not necessarily going to result in worldwide popularity for the country responsible.

See how this is like a playground effect?

Now that we know how U.S. history plays into global feelings of hatred, it's time to observe some of the potential causes of today's anti-American sentiments.

Given recent developments in the Middle East, it's possible to hypothesize that the world is skeptical of America's political motivations. A current study from Gallup's U.S. Foreign Policy center shows that Egypt's view of American intentions has worsened in the last year to the point that the country is twice as likely to refuse U.S. economic aid as it is to reject a treaty with Israel.

The funny thing is, this distrust is coming from a country that used to be a stable American ally.

And just in case you were wondering, there is a big reason for the landslide of Egyptian resentment. Can you guess what it is?

Egypt fears the U.S. will use financial aid as leverage for interference in Egyptian politics, according to Gallup.

OK, so obviously this explanation could go on for miles until its long enough to wrap all the way around the globe, as there are that many reasons why America isn't well-liked. Frankly, what's covered here just begins to skim the issues at work. We could approach the question from many angles, and this is just one of them.

But while we're sitting in this perspective, let's take to heart the most apparent bottom line. The world hates America because America is a world power that loves to meddle. Facts don't lie, and America has an entire history book full of them.

Whether these meddling monstrosities continue into the future is up to the U.S. foreign policy makers of today. And now that you've decided you hate the explanation for why the world hates America, go think about some ways to improve our country's reputation on the global playground.