In regard to the Cold War era, the author says the following:

"The world was dominated by the United States and the Soviet Union, and the countries in between often subordinated their own interests to accommodate—in the West by choice, in the East by force—the interests of their superpower protector."

It seems to me that American history since 1945 involved a substantial amount of coercion, ranging from flat out declaration of war to CIA subversion of governments and elections, assassination of foreign leaders, support of ruthless dictators, and economic destruction of third world countries. To believe that somehow the United States was the good guy in the Cold War is another fable that Americans must shed before they can ever understand why they are so roundly hated in much of the world.

I think "in the West" refers to NATO allies of the U.S., and not to third world countries that were effected by CIA subversion, assassination, and support of ruthless dictators.

Not that the selective application of subversion, assassination, and support of dictators justifies these practices.

And Americans are not hated in much of the world. Disagreement with the policies of the Bush administration, or with the policies of earlier administrations, is not hatred of Americans. You are mirroring the kind of us and them thinking that is epitomized in the president's "you're either with us, or you're with the terrorists" statements.