Though the U.S. has been a dominant world power since WWII, many of its citizens, even of its academic community, remain quite parochial. Jesus Velasco’s valuable collection, American Presidential Elections in Comparative Perspective: The World is Watching, asks how the U.S. has been viewed around the world and how has Donald Trump’s election impacted those views. Soberingly, a dozen scholars from the leading nations of Asia, Europe, and Latin America argue that concerns about U.S. insularity, inequality, and democratic decline have been confirmed and deepened by Trump’s election and early conduct in office. This book is critical but uncomfortable reading.
