An absence of American judgment (4)
I believe the answer is:
nous
'judgment' is the definition.
(nous is a kind of judgment)
'an absence of american' is the wordplay.
'an absence of' becomes 'no'.
'american' becomes 'us' (abbreviation for United States).
'no'+'us'='NOUS'
(Other definitions for nous that I've seen before include "Sound practical judgement" , "Common sense: mind or reason" , "How the French describe their own" , "Common sense, rhymes with house" , "Knowledge, experience" .)