Take a look at the photo gallery from the event here.

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From the outset, my mother had decided that her children would not be raised in America. She felt that the country she had loved so much growing up, had changed. Its emphasis on wealth and competition did not appeal to her. Yet, despite never having lived in the US, my siblings and I have always held America as a major part of our identity. Our vision of the States and our family city, New York, was not shared by any of our classmates. Growing up in Europe, there was a lot of racism towards the US. American’s were “fat and stupid” or “rich and mean”. It is clear to me now, that things have changed. That anti Americanism seems to be softening in Europe. Why are so many of my classmates, who spent their time mocking Americans, now waiting for visa applications to move over there? Could it be that the US is more likeable than its ever been for my generation?

The US has been humbled. Eleven years of military engagement in two countries has knocked its confidence and forced it to reconsider its position as “defender of the free world”. At the same time, domestically, it has suffered from the worst finical crisis in generations, which has seen people thrown out of their homes and loosing their jobs, whilst in stark contrast, China has grown from strength to strength. It seems to me that America is viewed as being as messed up as the rest of the world, if not more so, and thus is not seen as intimidating as it once was. With a less arrogant image, people in Europe are able to focus more on what is good about the US. It is almost as if, the world has found a new country to pick on, China.

Things appear to be picking up in the US economy – unemployment is dropping, there are green shoots of growth and when compared to Europe this is promising. It’s estimated that America will be energy independent by 2030. This could be a turning point for US diplomacy, especially towards the Middle East.

It’s hard to view America in definitive terms anymore. In the past it was portrayed as good in a fight against an evil Soviet Union and even post 9/11 George Bush labelled America’s opponents as an “Axis of Evil”. Such characterisations appear far too simplistic to most people, and those who speak in blindingly positive terms about America are viewed as ignorant cow-boys. An equal measure of pride and being self-defacing are what is most fashionable now. Looking at film and TV, from Team America to Family Guy, the US seems to be OK with making fun of itself. It’s hard to think of any American TV shows in the 80s that ever did that. A new “Brand America” is being sold to us, whether it’s in speeches by Obama or in episodes of Homeland, as a country that can admit its blunders and is striving to make good on them. This humbled, but as a result wiser, America like a prodigal son, is being accepted by the rest of world once more. In many ways this re-branding is actually just a return to older values – the ability to adapt and improve oneself is at the core of the “American Dream”. It’s clear to me that America will look very different over the next couple of decades – for example I expect to see a Latino president within my lifetime – but if its central beliefs manage not to be clouded by arrogance again then it will continue to attract people to its shores in the same way it drew my grandfather from Syria in the 1930s.

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MARCH
22 – Venue VANCOUVER, BC
23 – Aladdin PORTLAND, OR
25 – Great American Music Hall SAN FRANCISCO, CA
26 – Belly Up Tavern SOLANA BEACH, CA
27 – El Rey LOS ANGELES, CA
29 – Hard Rock Cafe LAS VEGAS, NV
30 – Club Sound SALT LAKE CITY, UT
31 – Bluebird Theater DENVER, CO
APRIL
02 – Varisty Theater MINNEAPOLIS, MN
03 – Lincoln Hall CHICAGO, IL
05 – Opera House TORONTO, ON
06 – Corona Theatre MONTREAL, QC
08 – Union Transfer PHILADELPHIA, PA
09 – (Le) Poisson Rouge NEW YORK, NY
10 – Sixth & I Historic Synagogue WASHINGTON, DC
12 – Music Hall Of Williamsburg BROOKLYN, NY
13 – Royale BOSTON, MA

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