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Until
recently, I was under the misguided impression that, because it is the most powerful
and richest country in the world, America would easily win in a global popularity
contest. Why shouldn't it? The United States produces some of the most popular
music and movies, as well as many of the world's most successful companies. The
U.S. government gives more in foreign aid than any other nation in the world.
And we can't forget about the universally understood idea of the "American Dream."
Despite these factors, studying abroad has helped me realize that recent current
events and misconceptions about Americans have really hurt the popularity of the
only remaining superpower.
Public opinion polls around the world dramatically show how unpopular the U.S.
is, even among traditional allies. American citizens are not often seen in a better
light. Many are seen as imperialistic, rude, looking for war, and stupid for re-electing
an internationally unpopular president.
In a report by the Pew Research Center titled "U.S. Image Up Slightly, But Still
Negative," released during the summer of 2005, research shows that most surveyed
nations have an unfavorable opinion of "the States." Most citizens of Spain, Germany
and France did not have a favorable opinion of the U.S. In each of the three nations,
less than 45 percent of citizens surveyed had a positive view of the U.S. Turkey
and Pakistan had an even less favorable view, showing only 23 percent of those
polled view the U.S. in a favorable light.
What is most striking, however, is that among some of America's most reliable
allies, the U.S. registered a very lukewarm response at best. Britons who were
polled by the Pew Center only had a 55 percent approval rating of their friend
across the Pond. This is despite the fact that Great Britain is considered America's
greatest ally and in 1999, 83 percent of Britons approved of the U.S.
With only 59 percent approval, Canadians also have a somewhat cool approval of
their next-door neighbors. How can America be expected to win the War on Terror
if even our allies dislike us?
To put this into perspective, the British view their European allies, Germany
and France, very favorably at 75 and 71 percent, respectively; Canadians even
more so at 77 and 78 percent. Remarkably, the British and the Canadians approve
of China more than the country that represents the "American Dream." This is the
same China that is widely viewed as having one of the poorest human rights records
in the world. What has brought us to the point that the U.S. is viewed by many
of its greatest allies as less popular than the kid who still can't find a date
to the prom?
The most obvious example of an unpopular policy is the war in Iraq. Many European
nations greatly disapproved of this near unilateral action and their opinions
have only strengthened as the war has gotten increasingly messy. For example,
before the invasion of Iraq, 61 percent of Russians had a favorable opinion of
their former Cold War opponent. In 2003, that number dropped dramatically to 36
percent.
Many people around the world not only disagree with the decision to invade Iraq,
they think the world would be better off with Saddam Hussein still in power. A
remarkable 70 percent of French citizens polled believe the world is more dangerous
with Saddam out of power. Only eight percent of Chinese people say the world is
a safer place since the U.S. invaded Iraq.
Another event that did not exactly endear America to the rest of the world was
the re-election of President George W. Bush. Following President Bush's narrow
victory over Democratic nominee John Kerry, the British tabloid, The Daily Mirror,
ran a headline asking, "How can 59,054,087 people be so dumb?" This reaction was
reflected in polls where Britons were 62 percent less favorable of the U.S. because
of Bush's re-election. That isn't as bad as Germany, where 77 percent of those
polled said they viewed the U.S. less favorably because of the result of the 2004
election.
Even
if most people around the world disagree with American policy, they still love
American people, right? Not necessarily true. While Americans are thought of in
a higher esteem than their leaders, that gap is much smaller now than it was a
few years ago. In 2002, 53 percent of Jordanians, for example, had a favorable
view of Americans. That number, since the re-election of Bush and the invasion
of Iraq, has declined to 34 percent. Only 23 percent of the people polled in Turkey
have a favorable opinion of Americans. Even our friendly neighbors to the north,
Canada, like us less than they did a few years ago. Today, only 66 percent of
Canadians view the American people favorably, down almost 15 percent from three
years ago. Many Arab nations such as Turkey, Jordan, Indonesia, and Lebanon see
Americans as greedy, violent, rude, and immoral.
Much of this unfavorable opinion of the American people is due to unpopular elected
officials, anti-American media and the portrayal of Americans in popular culture.
Recently, British Prime Minister Tony Blair complained of the anti-American slant
found in the BBC's coverage of Hurricane Katrina. The BBC's coverage of America
seems downright patriotic when compared with the state-run television propaganda
in some nations. On top of that, Hollywood's portrayal of a violent and greedy
America also plays a factor in influencing the world's opinion of the nation.
With globalization increasing, people around the world get to see Hollywood films
and popular television shows every day.
So is there anything that the U.S. can do to improve its image? American goodwill
still seems to have a positive impact in the minds of people across the globe.
In response to the U.S. tsunami relief effort, spearheaded by former presidents
George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, many people changed their view of America.
Indonesia, the country with the largest amount of Muslims in the world and which
was most badly hit by the disaster, is the greatest example of this change of
heart. In response to U.S. relief efforts, 79 percent of those polled in Indonesia
view the U.S. favorably.
Even President George W. Bush seems to grasp this concept of goodwill affecting
the image of the U.S.
In a March 9, 2005 article from the Washington Post, "Bush Says Tsunami Aid Benefits
U.S.," Bush said, "I am heartened that the good folks of Indonesia, for example,
see a different America now. They see a country which, of course, will defend
our security, but a country which also cares deeply about suffering people, regardless
of their religion, that when we find a Muslim child suffering we weep just as
equally as when we find another child that suffers."
So what is it going to take for the U.S. and its people to win a popularity contest,
and should we even care? Some would argue that all that matters is that the U.S.
protects its own interests. That argument is flawed because isn't it in America's
best interest to not be hated by the rest of the world? Wouldn't it help if our
allies liked us? The obvious answer is yes, it does matter. In the future, our
leaders must look at the war in Iraq and the tsunami relief effort as examples
of foreign policy greatly changing the image of America. Leaders must not only
consider what is best for the U.S., but for the rest of the world as well. As
the world's only remaining superpower, it is our moral and ethical responsibility
to consider the rest of the world as well as our own nation. And with the world
seemingly shrinking every day due to globalization, it only makes sense.
Matt Egan is a junior Journalism/Professional Writing
major and is currently studying abroad at Bond University in Australia.
