Why America is Such a Hard Sell: Beyond Pride and Prejudice

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Rowman & Littlefield, 2007 - 285 pages
History offers ample proof of AmericaOs pride and prejudice, a twin handicap that prevents effective communication with the rest of the world. Using literature, political science, philosophy, and humor, the book explores some of the reasons for AmericaOs current predicament. It ends, however, on a positive note, describing some heartening initiatives, and expressing confidence in the sustaining power of the American spirit. Dr. Pilon's analysis should prove useful to scholars and practitioners, indeed to anyone interested in improving the interaction between America and the world.

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Contents

An Overview
1
Americas Mixed Legacy
11
Why America Is Such a Hard Sell
21
How Can You Tell?
23
Its Them Not Us
35
Consumerism Uber Alles
47
Empire Lite and NotSoLite
61
Watch out for the Entertainment
73
No Place Like Home
149
Biased against Intelligence
155
Public Diplomacy the Hard Way
163
Soft Power for Softies?
165
Misreading Machiavelli
173
Speakers in Chief Define the New World
183
Presidential Highlights from the Three World Wars
189
PostCold War Semantic Impasse
197

The Nonstarter Solutions More Pride and Prejudice
81
The Legacy of Pride
87
History of a Paradox
89
SelfExiled to SelfSufficiency
95
Exceptionalist Nationalism
105
Too Proud to Play Hardball at the UN
113
Strategic Public Diplomacy For Dummies?
123
The Price of Pride
131
The Legacy of Prejudice
139
Why Learn about Others?
141
Opting for Sense and Sensibility
203
Is the United States Really Such a Hard Sell?
205
Global Strategic Outreach Doing It Right
217
False Sensibility vs True Sense
227
The Five or Six Basic Rules of Global Strategic Outreach
235
Not for Sale
263
Index
273
About the Author
Copyright

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About the author (2007)

Juliana Geran Pilon teaches politics and culture at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C. The author of The Bloody Flag and Notes From the Other Side of Night, her writings have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The American Spectator, The National Interest, The Freeman, Humanitas, and many other publications both in the United States and abroad. Born in Romania, she received her Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Chicago, then held post-doctoral fellowships in international affairs at Stanford UniversityOs Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace and the Institute of Humane Studies. During the 1990s she was Vice President of Programs at IFES (International Foundation for Election Systems) and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

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