Poll: Only 6 nations have favorable US image. Hughes:Could be Iraq or bad experience on a US airline

[Bluebear]

The office of Karen Hughes is taking seriesly the grim news that most of the world doesn't like us. The reason, however is "complex". Maybe they don't like our Iraq policy, or maybe they had a bad experience with Silly Putty or the service on Delta Air Lines:

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WASHINGTON, June 29, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- A new poll of people in 47 countries shows growing negative feelings about the United States around the world. Among the findings in the survey, released on June 27, is that majorities or pluralities in all but six of the countries view the United States unfavorably.

The problem is not how Americans practice democracy in their own country, but how they're seen as trying to export it, according to Carroll Doherty, the associate director of the Pew Research Center in Washington, which conducted the survey. He says that the poll's respondents don't trust U.S. motives when President George W. Bush speaks of "spreading democracy."...


Despite the poll's grim news for the United States, its conclusions are being accepted by the office of Karen Hughes, the U.S. undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, whose job it is promote the U.S. approach to democracy. Rena Pederson, a special assistant to Hughes, says that the Pew Research Center conducts "very authoritative" surveys, and because of that, she doesn't dispute the findings of this latest poll. In fact, she says, Hughes' office regards the hostility toward the United States as a long-term and "complex" challenge that will take time and great patience to overcome.

"Some people may disagree with our policies -- a lot of people do, a lot of it is tied to Iraq. Some people disapprove of our culture. Some people may have had a bad experience with an airline. Some people may have had a bad experience with an American product," she says. "It's a very complicated problem, which means there's no quick fix, there's no simple fix. And I think that's why you have to work harder to have a mutual dialogue of listening and learning on both sides."

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/06/052994a7-dc04-485b-a75f-1a67db167223.html

[aquart]

1. Heckuva job, Karen.

[tblue]

8. It's the stewardesses fault! Who knew?

At least it's not Clinton this time.

[sniffa]

2. maude doesn't pay attention to poLLs

what the poLLs don't show, is that the majority of countries actuaLLy Love our freedoms, and democracy and that they're just wicked jeaLous.

[lligrd]

3. Oh Yeah, Some People Can't Make Their Frisbees Work

and that is why they hate Americans. What a doofus.

[charlie]

4. I think Karen Hughes is responsible for...

oh, say, maybe 30% of the US's unfavorable reputation. Countries are probably resentful that we send them a mushmouthed whackadoo and expect them to see things her way.

The Prime Minister himself experience was participated in an American Exchange program. And he feels very strongly that those people to people exchanges. We met with this morning with some Alumni of those people to people exchanges and what I’ve heard here in Egypt is how important that people to people, that person to person eye to eye contact is in getting to better know and understand each other. And by the way two way exchanges, not only having Egyptians come to the United States which we want them to do but also have more Americans visit Egypt.

<snip>

I really say that my job which is public diplomacy is about people. It’s about people and it’s about our policies. Because I recognize that our policies have an impact on people’s lives and I think I’ve learned as I’ve listened to people here that sometimes policy decisions that there are two sides to the coin. And you have one set of views in one place and a different set of views in another. Take for example the Palestinian issue. The goal of our United States policy in Palestine is that the Palestinian people might have the opportunity for a better life. That young people growing up in Palestine who -- that they have an opportunity to be educated and to have a job and too. I remember meeting with someone who told me how many Palestinian young people because they don’t have an opportunity to have a job, don’t feel that they can afford to be married and to have children, to have the experience of having children and families. And that’s what we want for the Palestinian people. That is the goal of our policy.

I think when you hear sometimes the discussion of our policy here in the Middle East that’s not the version that you hear but that is the goal of our American Policy is for the Palestinian people to have a state and to be able to live side by side in peace with Israel. That’s the reason that we have the road map in place to try to lead to that solution. And as many of you know, President Bush is the first president in American history to publicly call for that Palestinian state.

http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2005&m=September&x=20050926172747cpataruk0.615185&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. yup - she's a real peach, she is. just one of the bush bunch. nuff said. nt

[LeftishBrit]

6. Which are the six?

I would sort of guess the UK and Israel are among them - am I right, and if so, which are the other four? Do they include Albania?

[Bluebear]

7. Ivory Coast, Kenya, Ghana, Mali, Ethiopia, Japan

from what I can patch together.

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&ncl=1117635518

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. That's a good question: the Pew site seems to say it's 25 out of 47 countries

including the US itself:

Anti-Americanism: Deeper But Not Wider

In the current poll, majorities in 25 of the 47 countries surveyed express positive views of the U.S. Since 2002, however, the image of the United States has declined in most parts of the world. Favorable ratings of America are lower in 26 of 33 countries for which trends are available.

http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=256

[LeftishBrit]

14. Interesting list

Particularly interesting in some ways that the Venezuelans turn out to be more pro-American than the Brits!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. Right. Everyone knows that the people in Haiti are upset because of bad "airline" experiences.

This is due to the fact that most Haitians were refused 1st Class upgrades on one of their many trips to NYC to take in the Broadway season.

[Bluebear]

10. Also, their Oreck vacuums didn't work as advertised. nt

[TahitiNut]

11. Has there been a "surge" in bad experiences on an airline? (Besides 9/11, that is.)

She's playing to the brain-damaged knuckle-draggers.

Guantanamo - Just a bunch of disgruntled airline passengers. :puke:

[shadowknows69]

12. There are American products?

[Rex]

15. Some people may have had a bad experience with an airline.

No shit? Ya think?

[Monk06]

16. She took the brown acid at Woodstock. They warned her over the PA. I heard it in the movie.

[Canuckistanian]

17. She was probably selling the brown acid n/t

[lostnotforgotten]

18. Karen Hughes - Poster Woman For A Failed Presidency

If you see this sycophant coming then run the other way.

We all know she never met a Bush she didn't like.

[Prophet 451]

19. The reasons are complex

But they can be essentially observed thus: There is currently a question on the Beeb's opinion page about what drives anti-American feeling. The anti-US camp has a wide array of answers, covering everything from foreign policy to Bush to US arrogance. The pro-US side has only two answers: jealousy and "liberal media bias".

There is one of or possibly THE major factor behind anti-Americanism, the American assumption that firstly, the rest of the world envies you and secondly, that those criticising you could not possibly have a valid point.