by Mark Hertsgaard
Examination and explanation of perceptions of America
throughout the world
Reviewed by: Guy Brandon
About Guy Brandon
American journalist and broadcaster Mark Hertsgaard visited 15 countries in
his round-the-world trip to gather information on the subject of how the US
is regarded abroad. He met and interviewed a wide range of people: teenagers
obsessed with American fashion and films, businessmen envious of western
affluence, even retired terrorists angry about US foreign policy. This
interesting and often humorous anecdotal evidence is interspersed throughout
The Eagle’s Shadow, which is aimed at two audiences. For Americans, it is
intended to demonstrate how others view their country. For everyone else, it
is an explanation for why the US is the way it is.
American influence is literally ubiquitous, be it in the form of music,
film, food, clothes, technology or politics. American news, even of little
international significance, is still news all over the world. This
all-pervasive presence is something that everyone has feelings on – whether
envy, admiration, unease or outrage; no one is indifferent. The Eagle’s
Shadow consists of ten chapters of dialogue, structured around a number of
common impressions that foreigners have about America: the US is
self-centred, whilst at the same time being rich, exciting and the land of
freedom. It is a hypocritical and domineering empire, naïve about the world
– but it holds unparalleled opportunities. Although Hertsgaard began his
research long before 9/11/01, the terrorist actions in New York and
Washington, DC have brought a new relevancy and immediacy to his intentions.
Two enduring perceptions can be found the world over: that America is richer
than anyone else, and that Americans have more fun. The author tracks his
country’s values and optimism back to its origins in 1776: the New World was
colonised by the adventurous, the risk-takers and the energetic from the
start. By the end of World War I, it was already the world’s largest
economy, and underwent huge growth in the period after the Second World War
until the early 1970’s, when the OPEC oil embargo brought an end to the
“golden era”. Hollywood and the media capitalised on this consumer-driven
culture, promoting the importance that material possessions had in the
nation’s life, and the image that America was a paradise in which life was
trouble-free and worries were few. A desire for the easy life as presented
by American TV is a common denominator the world over. The US is regarded
with admiration and envy by countless – and at the same time, the flip side
of that coin: with resentment. The same evaluation applies to their military
capabilities and foreign policy.
Feelings about America (and, by extension, increasingly the West in general)
are not as simple as the two-dimensional picture we are often given by the
media and government; they are mixed, and often complex. As the greatest
economic and military power in history, the US is both admired and feared
simultaneously. One of the attractions of this enlightening book is that it
is lent immediate credibility by the fact that it was written by a patriotic
American, and is not simply propaganda – either for or against the US. The
Eagle’s Shadow is an objective, balanced and useful assessment of an
enormous amount of first-hand evidence and experience.
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: The Eagle's Shadow - Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World
Copyright © by Guy Brandon, 2002
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-- The Eagle's Shadow
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