June 25, 2003: Editorial, Destaque Internacional

Behind the recent wave of anti-Americanism, inspired by leftist movements of the entire world and amplified by the communications media, there are two underlying motives about which almost no one talks:

First, a silent resentment against free nations inspired by Communism and religious progressivism, and, in particular, against the United States, provoked by the collapse of the Soviet empire in 1990. It was a collapse that left the noisy failure of Marxist collectivism exposed, with its panorama of misery and bloodshed; and which, with its fall, destroyed the myths by which Communism misled the world for decades.

Second, the conservative tendency of important sectors of American public opinion, which was being consolidated in recent years, influencing the direction of the country and constituting an uncomfortable obstacle to the revolutionary advancement.

To hide these true motivations and to try to draw world public opinion behind it, the leftist movements gave rise to an irrational and emotional style of anti-Americanism, which appears to condemn indiscriminately everything that comes from the United States.

In reality, in the midst of that nation-continent a huge diversity of ideas and of cultures exists, many of them antagonistic. Inside the very government of the United States, portrayed as monolithic by this irrational anti-Americanism, different and even contradictory tendencies exist, a question that it is indispensable to address at an opportune moment.

In this American diversity, everything that was and is contrary to the principles of Christian Civilization in the social, cultural, political and religious spheres is worthy of censure. However, it is not this that is disturbing and irritating to Communism and Leftism, but, instead, that which the United States has done in the way of good - in particular, in defense of liberty.

In politics, what is presented in an exaggerated manner, without the indispensable nuances, runs the risk of falling into discredit and finishing in oblivion. The present leftist wave of anti-Americanism, still counting on the reverberations from the powerful communications media, is extremely vulnerable by virtue of its bias, exaggerations and oversights, which go against common sense.

The cause of Christian Civilization requires of each one of us an effort to contribute toward exposing the artificiality of such a maneuver of worldwide extension. In this way, we will be able to exclaim, paraphrasing the writer Hans Christian Andersen: "Naked is irrational anti-Americanism!"

References:

* Jamie Glazov (coord.), Paul Hollander, Stanley Kurtz, Dan Flynn & Victor Davis Hanson, "Anti-Americanism", Front Page Magazine.

* Roger Kimball, "The New Anti-Americanism", The New Criterion.

* Center of Studies on Information, "Leftist Media Bias: A Grave Problem."

* Destaque Internacional, "Silenced Truth: 'Pacifists' Protect Tyrants and Encourage Wars."

* CubDest, "World Social Forum: The 'Networks,' Theirs Goals and Strategies."

* Henri Carrières, "Anti-Americanism in the Brazilian Media," Media Without Mask (in Portuguese).