Anti-Americanism and Electoral Politics in Korea

Abstract

How people in foreign countries perceive the United States has been an enduring theme for students of international relations, as well as for foreign policy decision makers. Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been exposed to broad criticism around the globe, not exclusively in Islamic countries, as represented currently in the U.S. mainstream press. In 2005, the Pew Global Attitudes Project Survey reported that anti-Americanism is deeper and broader now than at any time in modern history.1 As a result, a number of studies have attempted to explain the causes of increasing anti Americanism that might exacerbate existing problems in relationships between the United States and other countries. It is, however, notable that only a few studies have examined how anti American perception relates to electoral politics, which may give us clearer views regarding the nature of the antagonism and plausible foreign policy changes. The well-known scapegoating theory already has pointed out that electoral politics is deeply related to anti-Americanism. The theory claims that politicians might manipulate public perception of the United States if doing so would ensure their electoral success. Andrew Kohut argued, for example, that the overwhelming success of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in the 2002 election was driven strongly by his electoral strategy to break with Wash ington over the war in Iraq.2 However, except for such anecdotal explana