[Historian Victor Davis Hanson is the author of Between War and Peace: Lessons from Afghanistan to Iraq.]

... Contrast all that dislike with those nations who appreciate the United States, which tells us something much different about America’s role in the world. The Kenyans and Ghanaians, for example, reveal more admiration for the United States (87 and 80 percent, respectively) than do we Americans ourselves.

In fact, all of sub-Saharan Africa — poor and with a past of exploitation — has an unbelievably high regard for the U.S. Perhaps black Africans appreciate our support for democracy, realize that we were not colonialists, see that blacks are succeeding in the U.S. in a way unthinkable elsewhere, know that we spearhead the global effort to bring AIDS relief and stop the genocide in Darfur, and sympathize with their own long struggle against radical Islam.

Much of Eastern Europe is similarly well-inclined. Poland, for example (61 percent approval rating), does not trust Russia — and does not trust Europe to offer any help in a future hour of crisis.

Likewise, many countries of Latin America — Mexico, Chile, Peru — poll staunchly pro-American. We have tried to support these shaky Latin American democracies, welcomed their immigrants, and allowed billions of dollars to be sent back as worker remittances. And unlike a Spain, France, Germany, the Muslim Middle East, Russia, or China, such confident emerging nations also are not hung up on perceived past grandeur, blame-gaming the new superpower for their own subordinate roles.

Indeed, how strange that these poor countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, and South America are more favorable to America than are oil-rich sheikdoms, rich European socialist republics, and Middle East recipients of massive U.S. aid.

Or perhaps it’s not so strange at all.

The more confident a nation is, even when poor, the more likely it seems to admire America. Some of our best supporters turn out to be one-billion person India (59 percent favorable rating), Japan (61 percent), and South Korea (58 percent) — all democratic, capitalist juggernauts, and appreciative of liberal American trade policy and U.S. military support. Again, should we Americans value the friendship of such democracies — or that of a China that cheats on international trade accords and intimidates its neighbors?...

Ralph E. Luker - 11/15/2007

I don't know what makes you think that Victor Davis Hanson "posts articles on Cliopatria". He doesn't.

Kenneth Laurence Davis - 8/15/2007

Case in point:

vdh article

"We took no oil — the price in fact skyrocketed after we invaded Iraq. We did not do Israel’s bidding; in fact, it left Gaza after we went into Iraq and elections followed on the West Bank. We did not want perpetual hegemony — in fact, we got out of Saudi Arabia, used the minimum amount of troops possible, and will leave Iraq anytime its consensual government so decrees. And we did not expropriate Arab resources, but, in fact, poured billions of dollars into Iraq to jumpstart its new consensual government in the greatest foreign aid infusion of the age."

We may have "taken" no oil, but we controlled it, and Bush and Cheney's friends in Big Oil reaped record profits as a direct result of the invasion.

Sharon leaving Gaza and the Palestinian elections had little or nothing to do with Iraq.

We will leave Iraq anytime its "consensual" government decrees?!?

The great preponderance of the billions we've spent on Iraq has gone into the bank accounts of foreign contractors. I suppose one could call that an "infusion of foreign aid"...

Barry DeCicco - 8/15/2007

I'm not talking about that (I've read one of his books, the one one battles). I'm talking about the fact that he's been stark staring mad for the past several years.

Kenneth Laurence Davis - 8/14/2007

Yeah? What species is that?

Serge Lelouche - 8/14/2007

VDH is a pretty decent classicist. I know that it might be hard to accept that since you probably have political differences with him--but that is the case.

Barry DeCicco - 8/14/2007

Why is this man allowed to post articles on Cliopatria? The man has spent the past several years as a parody of a historian. Let him go to AEI, where he'd fit right in.

Serge Lelouche - 8/14/2007

Kenneth isn't worthy of even being in the same species as VDH!

Kenneth Laurence Davis - 8/12/2007

Define "us" for us, Mr. Hanson. You and I may be two Americans, but we are not "us".

Stephen Kislock - 8/11/2007

Mr. Hanson, when you talk of MASSIVE AID and Midle East, you are of course refering to Israel and the three or four Billon US Dollars a Year in general Aid, not counting the Billions of US Dollars a year in Military Aid to support,This Apartheid government?

Israel is such a Failed State, over 50 years of depending on Foreign AID, to survive and Oppress the Indigenous Palestinian population.....