One might expect to see open anti-Americanism on the streets of Baghdad or Tehran. But the temperature of anti-Americanism in countries traditionally allied with the United States—Egypt, Saudi Arabia, even Germany and France—is startling to behold. Even more troubling is the vehemence that many Americans are directing toward their own country.

Stop by one of the protests against the coming war with Iraq and you will see posters that say, “America is the real threat to peace” or “Uncle Sam is in it for the oil.” Some radicals even chant slogans denouncing American imperialism or alleging that America is now a Nazi-like power, preparing to trample ruthlessly on the sovereignty and liberty of other nations.

So what happened to patriotism? In grappling with this question, let us be clear. It is possible for reasonable people to disagree with the Bush administration’s Iraq policy. Criticism of American actions, or even of America itself, is not inherently unpatriotic. But the degree of unreasonable hostility that is shown toward America, not only abroad but also at home, suggests that anti-Americanism has become a serious problem.

Emotional patriotism is rooted in feeling, and like all feelings, in time it tends to decline. The emotional patriotism of 9/11 was based on identification with the suffering of the victims. But once the grieving was over, and the insurance checks had been paid, the emotional attachments of Americans moved on to other things.

Today America needs not just emotional patriotism but also rational patriotism. Rational patriotism is harder than emotional patriotism because it is based on a calm, considered appreciation of one’s country. “To love our country, our country ought to be lovely,” Edmund Burke once wrote. The rational patriot understands the failings of his country but loves it nonetheless because its strengths greatly outweigh its faults.

America has made many mistakes in the world: each person can draw up his own list. But it is hard to deny that, on balance, America’s involvement in the world in the past century has been hugely beneficial. America’s actions were crucial in defeating the two great menaces of the twentieth century: Nazism and fascism. What other country, after defeating Germany and Japan in World War II, would expend considerable resources to rebuild those two nations? What other country would have been as magnanimous toward a former enemy as the United States has been toward the former Soviet Union?

Whatever their disagreements with America’s Iraq policy, critics should recognize that America’s objective in Iraq is not arrogant imperialism or petty oil-grabbing. Rather, it is pretty much the same as it was in Afghanistan: to undermine terrorism that jeopardizes the lives of Americans, to overthrow a barbarous and repressive regime, to install a peaceful, self-governing society that can live harmoniously with its neighbors and can work to improve the lives of its citizens.

As a war with Iraq approaches, America needs the goodwill and attachment of its citizens, just as it did following 9/11. Today, however, what is needed is a rational patriotism based on a realization that America can meet Burke’s test: despite its flaws, it remains a great force for good in the world.

Click for a Printer Friendly Version