I'm not sure about the rest of the world, but this would be a thought-provoking and enlightening book to many "self-absorbed" Americans who wonder why the US is the object of so much hostility. (For non-westerners, it may simply evoke a "Duh!") For most of the book, Pearse approaches the topic from several perspectives and he condenses a lot of research -- psychological, sociology, political, cultural, historical) into a relatively small, easy-to-read package. Topics included the roots of western vs. non-western cultural clashes, the mathematical realities of world demographics, and the impact of societal influences like television. I admit that some of the European statistics regarding population decline, family size, tax bases (particularly in the UK) caught me a bit by surprise. One minor detraction: I would have liked to have seen the last chapter into a separate section -- perhaps an epilogue of sorts -- because it contained the writer's own suggestions about how to reverse current cultural trends in the US and I felt it wasn't in the same "spirit" or tone as the rest of the text. Formatting aside, I appreciated reading his suggestions. Bottom Line: I read this 5 years after publication and still found it to be very relevant . Possibly more than when it was written. I recommend it. ( )