by Julia Sweig
First published 2006
In 1945, America stood as the world's moral leader, founding the United Nations, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund. The nation appeared untouched by colonialism or fascism, victorious in war and idealistic at home. Sixty years later, that image had crumbled almost completely. Sweig argues that America planted the roots of its global reputation crisis in its own hemisphere. While the world focused elsewhere, the United States tested anti-American sentiment in South America under the banner of fighting communism. The country backed dictators, ignored death squads, and undermined democratic governments. Few people noticed at the time, but South America never forgot. America then exported these tactics worldwide, believing preemptive intervention would succeed globally as it had regionally. This calculation proved disastrously wrong. Enhanced media scrutiny and rapid communication spread anti-American feelings among close allies far beyond the Americas. Sweig delivers a sharp examination of these policy failures and presents concrete solutions for repairing America's damaged standing.
Genres: history, 20th-century, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: America, South America
Period: 1945, 2000s
272 pages · Hardcover · PublicAffairs
Content warnings: colonialism, violence