Immediately after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, there was widespread sympathy for the U.S. because many innocent people lost their lives. The U.S. even received condolences from its enemies such as Iran and North Korea. Today, anti-American feelings are on the rise all over the world and especially in the Middle East. The attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq have led to the loss of many more innocent lives than the 911 attacks.
The root cause of this rising anti-Americanism is not a violent religion or ideology. It is caused by the actions of the U.S. government. If Saudi Arabia would be a democracy, it wouldn't be a U.S. ally: 79% of the people have an “unfavorable” view of the U.S., according to a Gallup survey. (The Times: Anti-American feelings soar among Muslims, study finds)
The West is not going to know it is winning the war on terror “when the Islamic world rejects radicalism”. The study found out that there is no significant difference in religiosity between moderates and radicals and moreover that radicals earned more and studied longer than moderates.
Opposition against the U.S. is not fueled by radical Islam, but by the injustice of occupation: the occupation of Afghanistan by NATO troops, the occupation of Iraq by American and British troops, the occupation of Palestine by Israeli troops and it will be further fueled by the upcoming occupation of Iran by American troops. If the U.S. would close down all its bases abroad and call all its troops back, anti-American feelings and terrorism would melt away like an ice cream in the blazing sun.
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