America Against the World How We Are Different and Why We Are Disliked

The rise of anti-Americanism is the most pressing challenge facing us. In America Against the World, Pew Research Center president Andrew Kohut and Bruce Stokes consider the surprising findings of Pews unprecedented survey of world opinion to understand why the world has turned against America: where once we were considered the champion of democracy, we are now seen as a militant hyperpower. The answer: Americans go-it-alone attitudes have pushed the world away. From our business endeavors abroad to the Bush administrations preemptive war policy, exceptional individualismin particular, our belief in personal responsibility and our unclouded optimismhave encouraged the world to view the United States as a bully and a threat. Former secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright argues in her foreword that we cannot stop the spread of anti-Americanism without truly understanding who we are. America Against the World provides the insights to take that step.

Andrew Kohut is the president of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, the leading nonpartisan polling organization in America. Kohut is a frequent commentator for PBS and NPR and a regular essayist for The New York Times. He lives in Washington, D.C.  Bruce Stokes is the international economics columnist for National Journal and a consultant to the Pew Global Attitudes Project. He lives in Washington, D.C.