The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates And Infuriates The World

Rating:
Summary: An Insight from the Outside
Review: "The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World" by Marks Hertsgaard covers a variety of topics that polishes and tarnishes the United States' image to the world. Hertsgaard uses many interviews with worldly people to prove his points about the U.S. Hertsgaard also uses the aid of factual events and statistics that are surprising when revealed. The more I got into "The Eagle's Shadow," the more I thought of my own preceptions of the United States. This book is good if you wish to question how real is the "American Dream."

Rating:
Summary: Biggoted, deceitfully socialistic, but many truths as well
Review: ... but not quite.

Independent journalist Mark Hertsgaard, in his latest book, "The Eagle's Shadow", tries to dispell the myth that the US is hated by the rest of the world. And, while he does an admirable job in presenting a real glimpse at world opinion (they love America and what it stands for; they just hate the arrogance of our government), the book gets bogged down in Hertsgaard's own rants against the perceived hypocrisy of America.

Despite this weakness, he does make some valid points. Americans are extremely parochial, we tend to ignore the rest of the world (with the exception of western Europe and whoever we are currently bombing), and generally very wasteful. We espouse a bizzarely schizophrenic type of politics that tries to simultaneously emphasize "family values" and "community" while supporting a soulless economic system that conspires to tear our values apart. At the same time, Hertsgaard doesn't really offer any solutions of his own other than the usual critiques and tepid support for social democracy (which has worked quite poorly in France, Germany, and Japan according to most economists)

The writing is fluid and extremely readable, which makes the book fly by at a quick pace. He has many delightful anecdotes from his travels that liven up the report and help highlight his observations... let little real reporting. In general, the book falls slightly flat.

Final appraisal? If you're looking for a quick read for a vacation, you can do far worse. For real global journalism, however, I'd recommend reading a work by a better reporter, such as Thomas Friedman or Fareed Zakaria.

(As for me, I got my copy for free. Hertsgaard spoke at my campus, and bet the audience that none of the students could name the prime minister of Japan. I was the only one who could name Junichiro Koizumi... a sad state of affairs, given that I was surrounded by Political Science students, who should know the head of the second largest economy in the world. At least I recieved a signed copy of The Eagle's Shadow for being the only one.)

Rating:
Summary: Opens Eyes
Review: Although Hertzgaard is at times seemingly condescends the United States he actually does a fine job balancing his criticism and pride of being American. If you've never traveled before the book is great to read because Hertzgaard gives helpful descriptions of the mentality and opinions of people abroad. The book is written to inform American's about the good but more importantly bad ways that foreigners think about us but at the same time is informative to foreigners about the reasons why america came to be this way. A good read the the whole way through.

Rating:
Summary: Listening to the rest of the world
Review: Author Hertsgaard, in his odyssey around the world, recorded impressions of the ordinary citizens he met. Some of these foreigner's perceptions of the US will enfuriate Americans, others will fascinate. But all of them make clear the essential point of this book: that we need to pay attention to the rest of the inhabitants of this planet. America, notes Hertsgaard, is their shining symbol of freedom, and equally their symbol of wealth and glamor, gluttony and selfishness. Although the American people are admired and envied, our leadership is often scorned and feared. Let the voices of Hertsgaard's correspondents explain the causes of these contradictions. Then reflect upon their concerns. Hertsgaard's own voice in "The Eagle's Shadow" shows some honest self-examination and critique of American policy both foreign and domestic. In the xenophobia and pseudo-patriotic hysteria of today's post-911 political climate, there are those who would label any criticism "unAmerican" or even "treasonous". The author confronts the creeping Sovietization of American media and politics which seek to demonize dissent. And he explodes the myth of the "liberal" press. Although he skewers the hypocrisy of both major Parties, it is the current administration which comes most under scrutiny. Chapter Eight, "The Tragedy of American Democracy" ought to be read by every American citizen. For those who are interested in this book, I also recommend Cooley's "Unholy Wars".

Rating:
Summary: A careful snapshot of American flaws
Review: Democracy is a work in progress. On that note, "The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World," by Mark Hertsgaard is a careful snapshot of what people outside the United States consider "American flaws." Still and all, the author is quick to report that throughout his travels he discovered a remarkable paradox...that nearly all the foreign critics admired our wealth and longed to come here.

America is a subject that never fails to get people talking, according to Hertsgaard. The world harbors plenty of complaints about us...particularly the Bush administration, he adds. The heavy-handed invasion of Iraq, the withdrawal from the Kyoto Treaty, the withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missle Treaty and our refusal to join the International Criminal Court top the list of complaints. Moreover, the author reports that, "no one wraps self-interest in moral superiority quite like Americans do."

America is without question the richest and most powerful nation in the world...but its glaring ignorance of the rest of the planet reflects badly on the United States, according to Hertsgaard. Include the climate of intimidation orchestrated by the Bush administration and you have the variables that explain why the United States has lost the world's admiration and respect, he adds.

Nevertheless, the critics of America all admit that we are still a land of opportunity. To this end, Hertsgaard examines our shameful treatment of Indians and Blacks...and points out that the world's proudest democracy is too self-righteous. He then concludes that the United States is a democracy in progress and urges Americans to nurture a global spirit of clarity and reason. This book is an eye-opener. It is well written and offers sound advice on how to make this great nation better.

Bert Ruiz

Rating:
Summary: A careful snapshot of American flaws
Review: Democracy is a work in progress. On that note, "The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World," by Mark Hertsgaard is a careful snapshot of what people outside the United States consider "American flaws." Still and all, the author is quick to report that throughout his travels he discovered a remarkable paradox...that nearly all the foreign critics admired our wealth and longed to come here.

America is a subject that never fails to get people talking, according to Hertsgaard. The world harbors plenty of complaints about us...particularly the Bush administration, he adds. The heavy-handed invasion of Iraq, the withdrawal from the Kyoto Treaty, the withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missle Treaty and our refusal to join the International Criminal Court top the list of complaints. Moreover, the author reports that, "no one wraps self-interest in moral superiority quite like Americans do."

America is without question the richest and most powerful nation in the world...but its glaring ignorance of the rest of the planet reflects badly on the United States, according to Hertsgaard. Include the climate of intimidation orchestrated by the Bush administration and you have the variables that explain why the United States has lost the world's admiration and respect, he adds.

Nevertheless, the critics of America all admit that we are still a land of opportunity. To this end, Hertsgaard examines our shameful treatment of Indians and Blacks...and points out that the world's proudest democracy is too self-righteous. He then concludes that the United States is a democracy in progress and urges Americans to nurture a global spirit of clarity and reason. This book is an eye-opener. It is well written and offers sound advice on how to make this great nation better.

Bert Ruiz

Rating:
Summary: Why the U.S should hate itself
Review: Don't let the title fool you, this book was written for the sole purpose to critisize the United States. From the hyprocracy of the U.S democarcy, to the man walking on the street, Hertsgaard leaves no prisoners. As a foreigner I thoroughly enjoyed this book, because it dealt with issues that are taboo for me to talk about living in the U.S, but because an American is writing about these issues, it makes a deeper impact and a great read.

Rating:
Summary: A few flaws, but still a good perspective and read.
Review: Interesting, insightful, and even entertaining. From the quirky anecdotes he uses to begin each chapter to the clever way he is able to portray this democracy and government (by use of research and frankness), it's a book worth reading. Hertsgaard raises many good points that could undoubtedly get you into a quandry with any republican sitting across the dinner table from you. He does a thorough job of examining issues that many Americans haven't and/or don't ever wish to consider and his own perspectives add a lot to his claims because he brings his experiences with other countries to the table; he mentions fifteen. One tactic that did seem to hurt his argument however, was his tendency to classify all Americans and all foreigners.

Overall, he was able to successfully deliver the message he wanted to his readers and although he may have not gotten everyone to agree with him, I have no doubt that he has left many pondering The Patriot Act like they never have before.

Rating:
Summary: Why its missing a star...
Review: Overall its a good book. It gives the reader a sense of history and explains the causes of many American problems (ignorance about the world being the major one), however, I feel it spends more time talking about this (i.e. media, U.S. love for guns, credulity, etc) than the relationship with foreign nations themselves. Nevertheless, I gave it four stars (which is really good) for pin-pointing the weak spots of this democracy in which the same people appear to always win elections time after time.

Rating:
Summary: Deceptive But Humorous Sleight of Hand
Review: Previous reviewers have correctly pointed out that this book does not provide a means for Americans to learn the opinions of (some) non-Americans about America. Rather, Mr. Hertsgaard has taken the opportunity to inform the reader as to his opinion of what he believes foreigners think of America, and more to the point, what he thinks of America and Americans. Thus, on that score, the book is deceptive.

Hertsgaard structures each chapter as follows: he begins each chapter with a comment from a foreigner about America, he then explores a central theme, placing particular emphasis on its relationship to US Foreign Policy and finally, he ends each chapter with a prescription for beneficial change. One can discern various themes throughout the book. First and foremost among these themes is the lamentably true fact that Americans know less about the world than the world knows about America. This insight has a number of disturbing implications, which Hertsgaard adequately demonstrates in the book.

Additionally, Hertsgaard helps to remind the reader of the crucial difference between Americans and the American government. He also shows us how any issue, be it domestic or foreign policy, is shaped and formed, by both a powerful minority (who are also wealthy, but not necessarily tremendously so) and their most agreeable media henchmen. Most important, he looks behind the rhetoric, and instead of parroting the same old, tired litany (America, The Hated Empire), he dares to ask why some people hate us.

This last point turns out to be a very important discussion, as many Americans believe that the world hates America and Americans. After all, this is the incessant litany our leaders and the media feed us every day via highly charged, but empty rhetoric. The reality, however, is far more complex, and among non-Americans, feelings about America vary from an extreme of admiration and adoration to outright disgust, naked contempt and pathological hostility. The truth, alas, is somewhere in the middle of this range, and it is unfortunate that this book did not assist in uncovering it.

Nonetheless, I found the book, although at times overflowing with the naive optimistic idealism that so characterizes many left-leaning individuals, to be a surprisingly even-handed, though always critical and insightful musing on US Foreign Policy. Hertsgaard also managed to inject humor into an otherwise staid and dull topic on several occasions, making it more interesting than it typically is.

I leave the reader with one final quote from the book, apparently made by a Briton: "Texans are the worst... I like most Americans, but it is quite amazing how they don't know anything about other places in the world, unless they're invading them."