Americanism it Is Rather Hard

Americanism

It is rather hard to find a proper definition of the notion of Americanism. There are certain views which in the end determine the actual perspective of a possible definition. In this sense, Americanism can be understood as being the expression of the cultural dominance of the American spirit. On the other hand however, it can also be considered as being the definition of imperialism and colonial power. In recent times, this last perspective has been spread worldwide especially because of the 2003 war in Iraq. This event in the recent history of our world determined an even stronger opposition for the way in which the U.S. is viewed in terms of foreign policy. However, it is important to consider both aspects of the matter, thus both the cultural positive dominance as well as the sense of imperialism the United States emanates to certain countries of the world.

The cultural dominance of the United States is of rather recent date by comparison to the European consecrated cultural powers such as France, Italy, or even Great Britain. More precisely, the culture of the U.S. represents in fact the modern attitude over life. It tends to manifest itself at all the levels of the society. In this sense, whether it is a television show which becomes widely popular on the European continent such as Larry King or Jay Leno, or the spreading of the English language in schools from Russia and the Middle East, there are all signs of the American culture. It is not so much the informational content that the respective television programs transmit; it is more about the idea they convey to a European public, one that is different from the American one. In this sense, while Larry King exported the model of talk show throughout the European continent and even in former communist countries such as Bulgaria or Romania, the Jay Leno program developed a new type of humor, one that discussed political matters from a funny and detached perspective. More precisely, his approach made politics entertaining. This attitude was promoted in other countries as part of the American spirit.

Americanism from a cultural point-of-view also implies the influence on music, films, and the art of entertaining, fashion, glamour and lifestyle. The figure of Elvis, the king of rock and roll, the scenes of famous blockbuster productions, McDonalds and Coca Cola, the fashion presentations in New York or Los Angeles, the Super Bowl, all these are symbols of the American culture and a means through which the U.S. is manifesting its Americanism.

On the other side, there is the notion of Americanism as a means of politically controlling the war. The most recent manifestation of this was the 2003 war in Iraq that was often justified through three components, as Francis Fukuyama suggests, "the Bush Administration based its arguments for the war in Iraq on three elements: firstly, this country had weapons of mass destruction and it was about to build many more; secondly, this country had ties with the Al Qaeda terrorist network; thirdly, Iraq was yet another dictatorial tyranny and its people disserved to be rescued from under its yoke" (Fukuyama, 2006, 68). This single example represents in fact the clear exemplification of the U.S.'s belief in its messianic mission as a guide for democracy. This belief motivated its intervention policy since the end of the 19th century when, diplomatically, it began to interfere in foreign policy issues. The First and Second World Wars were similar cases in which it manifested its power and military might in the name of democracy but also in an imperialistic sense.