ABSTRACT
The proclamation of the Bush Doctrine and the unilateral exercise of force by the United States seem to have unleashed viral anti-Americanism worldwide. Yet anti-Americanism is more difficult to isolate and culture than this popular explanation would suggest. 1 What does it mean to be anti-American? Clearly, to be critical of the United States, its leaders, its policies, its economy, its society, or its culture is not sufficient to capture the taken-for-granted meaning of anti-Americanism. Most citizens and residents of the United States, at one time or another, are critical of one or more of these dimensions of public life, but this kind of criticism is not usually considered anti-American. The few times it has been have been periods of great stress in the American social and political fabric, where the meaning of citizen loyalty has been narrowed to exclude sustained criticism. These periods historically have been the exception rather than the rule.
