THE TELEGRAPH ON AMERICAN ACTIONS and European anti-Americanism. Europeans have been anti-American pretty consistently since America began, except for brief intervals where they needed us enough to (mostly) pretend otherwise. While politics and state-controlled media certainly play a role, it’s mostly about moral preening and justification for low defense spending. Ultimately, this kind of thinking hurts Europe far more than America — and will hurt Europe even more if America responds with isolationism.