The Ugly American

A detailed Summary of The Ugly American

The Ugly American explained in graphic detail the reasons why American diplomacy was failing in Southeast Asia in the 1950's and the reasons why communism was succeeding. As a list of events for the struggle for influence in Asia, it caused quite a diplomatic rage. Its lessons seem urgent today because of what is going on in Central America and in the Middle East. Whether the foreign policy mistakes this book overstated have been corrected is an important question.

The novel begins with the "Honorable" Louis Sears, ambassador to the country of Sarkhan, a small underdeveloped country in which communist and American interests are competing for control. Sears has assumed his post as a political substitute is over. Between three terms in the Senate and a predicted federal judgeship "with a long tenure," he's simply filling time in a "cushy" job with a large entertainment funds and providing living conditions, in a country he had never heard of, serving people he thinks of as "little monkeys." A cartoon drawn of Sears as a crying mule was published in a local Sarkhanese newspaper, making it obvious just how the American ambassador seemed to be. Sears is the example of "the ugly American."

In the following chapter the novel presen

The American ambassador is rude and awkward; the Russian is refined and skillful. This theme is implied through out The Ugly American in reference to Burma, Ceylon, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines all the countries the novel looks at. Still, there are people who do not fall into the category of the ugly American. These are tough, hardworking Americans with a strong sense of human pride and the nature of understanding on how to help people. These people are able to win friends for America at the same time that they help improve the living conditions of those who desperately need it. It is not the idea of the American dollars and the establishment of big American projects that these countries need, but people who give their skills to help the citizens of underdeveloped countries with problems they themselves have helped. In the book these people include: Father Finian, John Cowlin, Edward Hillandale, Tom Knox, and Homer Atkns. The lesson is clear. These pure Americans who remain close to the people of the countries they are working in and are also America's best ambassadors.

By revealing the lack of power of those who shape foreign policy, Lederer and Burdick show the way harmful mistakes are made in such a way of the United Sates influence in the world, even more damaging in terms of the outcome of the people whose lives and safety are at risk. This is a book that is certain to develop peoples understanding of the trouble of international affairs. This book shows how people can be busy in the development of diplomacy and it gives readers an important sense of the problems, which get such sketchy behavior on the nightly news. The Ugly American should be mandatory reading for the people of a participatory democracy, in a way they can understand the mistake of the past and to stop them in repeating it in the future.

From my point of view this book was very interesting to read. It made me feel like I was actually there. The

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1317
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History