As an American who has lived in Europe (multiple countries) for nearly 20 years, I would like to point out that I love both Europe and America– but if I had to get all my news and commentary from the European press and other media, I would be anti-American too. The fact is not that most Europeans aren’t interested in America, but that most of what they think they know about the USA is wrong. Generally, the political “elite” in most European countries is anti-USA (until they need us), and since most of the media is government-controlled or strongly government-influenced, that attitude is all that the average European ever hears. Even the supposed US media available in Europe (e.g. CNN and NPR) tends to be highly anti-US. US is certainly not perfect, but most Europeans never have a chance to hear about our good sides– though most who have visited the US come back with much improved attitudes.
