Anti-American sentiment in Europe and Asia

In Europe

In the European Union,there are some suspicions that the Americans are trying to dilute the unity and the cohesion of the EU,whether politically,economically or culturally,so as to reduce the threat to the U.S's economic,cultural and political influence in the world.In 2005,the Americans tried to get nations like Britain to oppose the EU uplifting of the ban on selling weapons to China.In recent years,the Americans also tried to get former Soviet and Eastern Bloc republics onto its fold.In 2004,the Americans openly supported the Victor Yuschenko during the 2004 Ukrainian Presidential Election.In early 2005,President George W. Bush visited Slovakia amid a popular reception.During the U.S-Iraq War of 2003,most former Soviet and Eastern Bloc countries officially supported the U.S's stand on the war.

In Asia

In China,anti-American sentiment brewed largely from what the Chinese believe to be the interference of the internal affairs of their own country.Despite acknowledgement of the "One-China" principle and that Taiwan is a part of China by the U.S,the Americans produced a new law called the Taiwan Relations Act,which permits the U.S to provide defensive weapons to Taiwan after official diplomatic relations had been established between China and the U.S in 1979.Observers have noted that the U.S is making use of Taiwan as a counterweight to China and under the guise of maintaining the peace on the straits,is trying to seperate Taiwan from China forever.

Many observers have also noted that the Americans have been relatively tolerant and making use of Japan's right wing(represented by the Liberal Democratic Party),of whom some were responsible for the visits to the Yasakuni Shrine and the gloss over of Japan's wartime atrocities in the school history textbooks,to counterbalance the Chinese.

Many have pointed out by the end of the World War II,the Americans,in order to find a subservient ally to counterbalance the rise of Communism in China and North Korea,and the rise of the influence of the Soviet Union,decided not to prosecute Japan's Emperor and dismantle the monarchy.Instead,they sought to transform Japan into a constitutional monarchy such as Great Britain.The Americans had also for long given financial aid to the Liberal Democratic Party,the governing party for most of Japan's post-war history.

Some also believed that U.S support for Japan to be a member of the U.N Permanent Security Council was just another strategy to contain China.

In Taiwan,some blamed the U.S. for support of Chiang Kai Shek's and Chiang Ching-Kuo's rule on the island and abetting Taiwanese independence activists.Some had also blamed the U.S. for forcing Taiwan to buy military weapons from them at a high price and for supporting the kind of democracy that Taiwan is now practising and had allowed Hitler and the Nazis to come to power.Some had also criticised the U.S for deliberately ignoring the vote-buying and vote-rigging(such as the 3-19 incident in 2004 Taiwan Presidential Election) that occurs during elections in Taiwan when praising Taiwan's transition to democracy.

In South Korea,some had also questioned the U.S's hardline policy on North Korea and the ongoing military alliance with the Americans.A number of unsavory incidents caused by American troops stationed in the country had contributed to this sentiment.Some had also questioned America's alliance with Japan and America's tolerance and making use of Japan's right wing.Some had also blamed the U.S. for being a supporter of Sygman Rhee,Park Chung Hee and Chun Doo Hwan.

In Japan,there are also questions about the U.S-Japan alliance.Left-wingers in Japan point out the unsavory incidents involving American troops and how Japan is frequently bullied in international trade by the U.S.These same people also oppose Japan's pro-U.S orientation in foreign policy and advocate closer relations with the rest of Asia.They also oppose Japan being in the nuclear umbrella of the U.S and advocate demilitarisation.In contrast,extreme rightists want Japan to be militarised and have nuclear weapons of its own.

In Indonesia,both the democratic and Islamist opposition to Suharto's regime saw the U.S. as the supporter of Suharto's rule.In the Philippines,the democratic and Islamist opposition to Fernindad Marcos's rule also saw the U.S. as the supporter of Marco's rule.Shortly after Corazon Aquino took office,the Philippines asked American troops to leave Subic Bay.The Americans eventually went to Singapore for a while.

In Thailand,its of no secret that the U.S had also covetly supported military regimes from the 1960s to the 1980s so as to use the supporters of these military governments to contain the 3 Indochinese states of Cambodia,Laos and Vietnam.

In India and Pakistan,there are realisations that the U.S is trying to be a double-head serpent.While promoting peace in the South Asia region,the U.S at the same time sells weapons to both countries,trying to precipitate an arms race,cripping the economies of both nations and to sow distrust between both countries.By doing this the U.S. is probably hoping that neither India nor Pakistan would rise to rival America's influence.

In Iran,part of the anti-American sentiment is due to U.S. support of the Shah Reza Palhavi,who was overthrown in the Islamic revolution of 1979.

Like in Europe,the Americans are widely believed to have employed a campaign of divide and rule over Asia.Part of the anti-American sentiment in Asia is due to the belief that the Americans,by using Japan and Taiwan,are trying to prevent the emergence of a more united Asian bloc.