Kyoto/International Criminal Court/Iraq/Abu Ghraib/Guantanamo Bay/extraordinary rendition/Bush's reelection occurred sometime ago. Yet, the image of America is still slipping worldwide according to the University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes. Why is this so? And, does it really matter? Pollsters may find opinion of America turning negative, but American companies still do good business abroad for American exports recently hit an all-time monthly high. The situation we have here may be akin to the difference between purchase intentions and actual purchasing behavior in marketing-speak. The rest of the rest of the world might profess disliking America's influence, but keeps on buying American products and imbibing American popular culture nonetheless. Suffice to say that I don't see any mass international boycott movement.In his testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Dr. Steven Kull of the Program on International Policy Attitudes said
- In 20 of the 26 countries polled, the most common view is that the US is having a mostly negative influence in the world;
- It should be noted that this reaction cannot simply be dismissed as something necessarily engendered by a powerful and rich country. The numbers we are seeing today are the lowest numbers that have ever been recorded;
- During the 1990s, views of the US were predominantly positive;
- The US military presence in the Middle East is exceedingly unpopular in virtually all countries. On average 69 percent believe the US military presence there “provokes more conflict than it prevents” while just 16 percent see it as a stabilizing force;
- The good news is that there is an abundance of evidence that the unhappiness with the US is not a rejection of US values. People around the world say that the problems they have with the US concern its policies, not its values.
