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American Exceptionalism

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An American Dilemma
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Abstract

In 2001, before George W. Bush set out on his first European visit as president, a group of senior American diplomats sent him an open letter. They pointed out to the president, who, as Texas Governor, had a reputation for presiding over a record number of executions, that he should be aware that nations in the European Union viewed the United States as an international outlier. The practice of capital punishment, they warned, damaged the international reputation of the United States. It provided a negative example of American exceptionalism.

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Notes

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© 2015 Mary Welek Atwell

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Atwell, M.W. (2015). American Exceptionalism. In: An American Dilemma. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137270375_2

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