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1896 again. Swasticars. Of kings and men
GREENLAND TODAY, CUBA YESTERDAY: An 1896 Spanish newspaper illustration is pertinent amid the continuing row over various US high officials’ uninvited visit to Greenland. With Donald Trump targeting the Arctic island for takeover from Denmark, consider La Campana de Gràcia’s satirical portrayal of the USA’s suspected intentions towards Cuba. The text at the top reads "Uncle Sam's craving”.
ALL AMERICAN: University of Sydney political science professor Brendon O’Connor has long argued for greater balance on the subject of anti-Americanism. He has described the book we feature in the post – Paul Hollander on anti-Americanism – as “a one-sided attack”. However, O’Connor also admitted Hollander’s book was “the most detailed study of the subject”. O’Connor’s 2004 paper, originally published in the Australasian Journal of American Studies, is still worth reading. A pdf is available at the bottom of this post.1
‘SWASTICARS’ DRIVE THE STORY: Elon Musk’s Tesla has a slight problem with a poster campaign across London, England. Deeply critical of Musk’s politics and actions, the posters brand Tesla “the Swasticar” and describe the billionaire’s pairing with Donald Trump as “white power steering”. Scroll through the posters on the link.
Meanwhile, anti-American sentiment triggered by Trump’s policies and pronouncements, is leading to consumer boycotts of US products in some parts of the world. BMI, which provides analysis on 200 global markets and 22 industries, cites case studies from Canada, Europe and mainland China of consumers actively avoiding American brands.2
Nato countries such as Canada and Portugal are having second thoughts about buying America’s F-35 fighter jets, amid persistent rumours of a “kill switch” to remotely disable or impair the aircraft at will when operated by foreign allies.
THE KING AND TRUMP: Trump has given a virtual thumbs up to a British tabloid story suggesting King Charles will invite the United States to join the 56-member Commonwealth bloc. Trump reposted The Sun story, adding: “I Love King Charles. Sounds good to me!” The US has never been a part of the Commonwealth, which was originally conceived in the 20th century as a grouping of former British colonies.
WHAT GOES AROUND: “It’s only because of France that the Americans aren’t playing cricket and singing God Save the King,” said Australia’s former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull on X.3 The acerbic comment came after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared “it’s only because of the United States of America that the French are not speaking German right now”. Leavitt was addressing a call from a French member of the European Parliament for the Statue of Liberty to be returned to France, which gifted the monument to the US some 140 years ago.
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Brendon O’Connor. A Brief History of Anti-Americanism: From Cultural Criticism to Terrorism. Australasian Journal of American Studies, July 2004 https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:94eadb9e-32d4-401d-a40c-61a639cdae97
Anti-American Sentiment: Souring Consumer Sentiment With The US Risks Brand America. https://www.fitchsolutions.com/bmi/consumer-retail/anti-american-sentiment-souring-consumer-sentiment-us-risks-brand-america-13-03-2025
https://x.com/TurnbullMalcolm/status/1901886248014508437
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