The string of news about U.S. intelligence services (mostly NSA) treating (by treaty allied) countries as if they were hostile doesn't seem to end, and this among a gazillion other things is bound to create backlash.
A mild form of backlash is critique.
That's what usually triggers the accusation of "anti-Americanism".
Isn't it incredibly expedient how this charge appears to absolve Americans from thinking of the critique as caused by their own behaviour?
It's always the others' fault. It's never about objective violations, but always about subjective, unfounded aversions - ideology. Oh, and communists. Lots of communists are sponsoring this, of course. And Arabs. And Russians. Lots of bad people are working behind the scenes to ruin the United States' reputation in and relations with the world.
I agree. Lots of bad people are harming the reputation and relations. The disagreement is about who these bad people are.
I suppose a lot of backlash / critique will be seen in topics relevant to 'civil rights' and 'war and peace' in the near future.
S O
P.S.: I've observed a lot of critique rising about a supposed 'return of the Cold War', often centred on American troops' presence and exercises in Eastern Europe (that largely useless Stryker brigade driving around there). This cooldown of relations is seen as Western-driven usually, whereas I suppose the critics ignore the Baltic NATO members too much. They do get right that the Ukraine was and is not allied and Russia so far didn't turn aggressive against EU or NATO members.
Then again, I've just today read that Russia is investigating whether the secession of the Baltic countries was legal by USSR law at all. They're creating a "in reality the USSR still exists" line for conspiracy theorists.
The U.S. is not the biggest bullshit producer, but I think it's easily in the top ten of developed countries and it doesn't deserve to be spared in regard to criticism.
.P.S.:
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