Alarming Increase of Anti-Americanism in Latin America

The war in faraway Iraq has fueled rising resentment against the United States much closer to home.

by Fred Nance

Now that the war in Iraq has ended, lingering disturbances are being felt from America's own backyard. One might say that the United States and Britain won the war but are losing the world. A dangerous trend of anti-Americanism has emerged towards the neighbor to the north. According to a recent Miami Herald article, the daily condemnations of the war by many Latin American governments, without criticizing Iraq's UN violations, has fueled a very intense anti-Americanism in the region.

President Bush, whom many consider cold and callous, is especially the target of blame.

"It has become fair game in Latin America to compare the United States with Nazi Germany and President Bush with Adolf Hitler" ("Views Aside, Anti-U.S. Frenzy Will Hurt Latin America," Miami Herald, April 13, 2003). Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes said in an interview with CNN that President Bush and his aides "are religious extremists too," and that " Bush has created a chaos, a confusion and a situation of international danger not seen since the days of Hitler" (ibid).

Boycotts and changing names

Boycotts of American products and companies have been organized throughout Latin America. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, the city council is "considering a measure to rename 'United States Street' to the 'Street of the Iraqi People'" ("The Faraway War Set Latin America on Edge," New York Times, April 20, 2003).

The antiwar fervor was so strong in Mexico that the relationship between Presidents Bush and Vicente Fox has cooled dramatically. There was even a movement in the Mexican congress to change its official name. Since 1824 its official name has been "The United Mexican States." Now, the proposal is to change it to just "Mexico." The cry was "U.S. Out of Mexico" (New York Times, Jan. 26, 2003).

Why is there such an increase in animosity towards the United States at this time? Bible prophecy shows that a spirit of hate and indignation would arise against the modern-day descendants of the tribes of ancient Israel. Today, two of the major tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, are the nations known as the United Kingdom and the United States. (See our booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy for background to this astounding key to understanding prophecy.)

According to Newsweek magazine, a big problem for the United States was that much of the world was getting the war news from Arab stations. "Al-Jazeera is to the Iraq war what CNN was to the 1991 Gulf War—the primary source for news worldwide" ("The Other Air Battle," Newsweek, April 7, 2003). The Al-Jazeera slant covered statements from Iraqi officials as "facts" and those from American officials as "claims." "Even as the U.S. Military strives to avoid casualties, it finds itself depicted as a bunch of baby killers in the only air war most of the world sees—the one that appears on television."

According to Newsweek, Al-Jazeera's chief met with Saddam Hussein last year and began to set up a staff of eight reporters and a support staff of 20 in preparation for the anticipated coverage to come.

As a result of the Al-Jazeera spin, the war was viewed negatively for the United States even in countries that supported its campaign against Saddam Hussein.

Regular readers of World News and Prophecy understand that the descendants of ancient Israel are the modern-day peoples of the United States and Great Britain. A conspiracy against the people of

Israel is described in Psalm 83. Perhaps the worldwide anti-American attitude can be enlightened by this prophecy. "They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted against Your sheltered ones. They have said, 'Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more'" (Psalm 83:3-4).

Notice the hate that would arise against the people of Israel is such that some would want to destroy them as a nation.

Economic letdown

There is another factor adding fuel to the fire of anti-Americanism in the western hemisphere.

As a result of a global economic meltdown, poverty and hunger are reaching staggering new levels throughout Latin America. After a decade of experimenting with American free market reforms, Latin American nations are becoming very disillusioned with the process. Nations that once were racing to accept American-style democracy and economic values are waking up to the reality that it has not worked for many of them.

"The United States is also paying for what is seen here (in Latin America) as indifference to an economic crisis that swept this region a few years after its leaders took American advice to open their markets and embrace globalization" (New York Times, April 20, 2003). The attitude of blaming the United States for their current economic crisis is a result of a letdown from not being able to realize "the American dream" of prosperity.

However, the prosperity that the United States has enjoyed has been the result of national blessings promised to the descendants of Abraham (Genesis 12:2). "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing."

The national blessings promised to Abraham have been realized by the British Commonwealth and the United States. The impatience for prosperity in other countries makes for discontent, leading to anti-American feelings.

Latin America's discontent with the United States is part of a worldwide trend that makes it worthwhile to watch the news as it relates to Bible prophecy. World News and Prophecy will keep its readers tuned in to future developments in this and other important areas of our world.

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