Superpower Syndrome: The Enduring Debate on Pro-Americanism and Anti-Americanism in Foreign Media


  •  Ayesha Ashfaq    
  •  Adnan Bin Hussein    

Abstract

The media inclination towards pro-Americanism and anti-Americanism is not a new phenomenon because being a superpower, the United States is one of those nations who has been facing acute image problem since World War II. It is the media which plays an influential role in constructing and depicting the foreign images. So, this paper aims at analyzing the images of the United States that is largely constructed and represented by foreign media. It was observed that the image of the United States has been changed from positive to negative and vice versa with changing its foreign relations, political polices and audience preferences. This paper further discussed the image of the United States as ‘unilateralist’, ‘imperialist’ and ‘ethnocentric’ superpower in European media with reference to scenarios of post World War II and Cold War based on the ideological, cultural and political differences and clash of civilization with Europe. It further analyzed the role of the United States as ‘hegemonic’, ‘aggressive’, ‘barbaric’, ‘peace destructor’, ‘biased’, ‘deceitful’ and ‘hypocrite’ after 9/11 not only in Middle East and Asian countries but also in the most of the countries of the world.


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