Is American centrism getting out of hand?

What is American centrism?

American centrism, or as it is sometimes referred to, Americentrism, is the placement of American culture, beliefs, politics, and ideals above those of other nations and states. It is a concept commonly engrained in the American education system, as it presents a very US-centric version of global events, both past and present. It is visible on many levels, such as actions taken by US politicians, the responses of Americans to certain world events, both historical and current, and their perception of other cultures and countries.

Why is it a problem?

A recent example that can be used to illustrate the issue of American centrism is the response from some Americans to the anti-Fascist protests that happened recently in Germany.

German protestors took to the streets of several major German cities, such as Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Potsdam, and Berlin, rallying against the AfD (Alternative for Deutschland (Germany)). The AfD are a right-wing, Eurosceptic group, and in 2023 began polling as the second most popular political party in Germany. With an election coming up at the end of February, protestors took action to protest against the right-wing manifesto of the AfD, who have continued to gain momentum in the run up to the election.

The response of Americans upon seeing this on news sources on social media, was to thank German’s for protesting against fascism and Donald Trump for them, instead of considering that there could be something happening in Germany worth protesting. This level of Americentrism is damaging, as it allows for Americans to hold the view that they can take a step back in their own political climate.

How does it impact people both inside and outside the US?

Inside the US, the teaching of Americentrism negatively impacts the people living there, as it gives them an inflated sense of importance as a nation, causing their perception of global events and politics to be altered to fit their American-centric world view. This leads to a certain level of ignorance of other global affairs, as seen in response to the German protests.

The main negative impact of American centrism is that the global political power of the US is often overlooked in this view, meaning that their selection of leaders is commonly not seen to have an impact outside of the USA, and therefore can have significant impacts upon other nations. Less than three weeks (at the time of writing) into Donald Trump’s presidency, the US have already pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement, and the World Health Organisation (WHO), with Trump also threatening to withdraw the US from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). These are all agreements and organisations that are important regionally and internationally, and by withdrawing from them it will have significant knock-on effects for other countries.

Can American centrism be considered a necessary evil?

While laying out the issues that American centrism can cause in different spheres, it is also important to recognise that the USA is an inherently important part of many global affairs. One way that this can be visualised is in their contribution to the global economy. The population of the USA makes up 4% of the global population, yet in 2023 they made up 26% (15.5% adjusted for PPP) in  of the global gross domestic product (GDP). As can be seen in this statistic, the USA has disproportionate impact upon global financial affairs.

In an American centrist world view, surely Americans need to be aware of their nation’s global impact and how decisions in the US can cause knock-on effects in other nations. In some of the major international organisations, the USA are major contributors and hold significant power. In the UN Security Council, they hold the power to veto decisions, and are the biggest contributor to NATO, both financially, and in human and equipment resources. Surely it is important that the American people are aware of their indirect global power in order to ensure they make educated choices when electing their leaders?

The 2024 US presidential election was one of the most significant global events of the year, and people around the world watched along as the American people elected Donald Trump as president, a candidate who openly spoke on his desire to pull out of climate agreements, several major international organisations, and used Nazi-like rhetoric to describe migrants. It is vital that the American people are aware of the USA’s political power, and how the election of an individual such as Donald Trump has and will impact people globally.

In this sense, American centrism could perhaps be considered a necessary evil, as it is important that Americans are aware of their country’s global impact, however, it can be seen to have gotten out of hand. Instead of an awareness of their country’s political power on a global scale, it has become a hierarchy, where the American people place American values, events and cultures above others, and seem oblivious to the problem with this. The main aspect of an Americentric world view that could be used for good is the one largely taught to be ignored.