As recent poll of global attitudes conducted for the BBC World Service by GlobeScan [1] and the Program on International Policy Attitudes [2] (PIPA) reveals that the United States, not surprisingly, has much to do in its efforts to win the hearts and minds of pretty much anyone who will listen worldwide.
The foreign policy issues included in the survey were how the US has dealt with the war in Iraq, the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran’s nuclear program, North Korea’s nuclear capability, and global warming/climate change. Other noteworthy questions asked about whether the US has a mainly positive or negative influence in the world, and whether the presence of the US military in the Middle East helps to prevent or create conflict.
The findings paint a bleak picture. Some are listed below, but more detail and methodology can be found here [3]:
o Of the 18 countries previously polled, the percentage of those reporting that the US has a positive influence in the world decreased from 36% to 29%, which is down from 40% two years ago.
o Across all 25 countries polled, a majority disapproved with the way the US has handled the war in Iraq (73%); the treatment of detainees in Guantanamo Bay (67%); the Israeli-Hezbollah war (65%); Iran’s nuclear program (60%); global warming/climate change (56%); and North Korea’s nuclear program (54%).
o Of those surveyed, Nigeria is the lone country that views the US military presence in the Middle East as a stabilizing force.
o The polling indicates that the Philippines (73%), Nigeria (72%), and Kenya (70%) have the most favorable views of the US role in the world; those with the strongest negative views include Germany (74%), Indonesia (71%), France (69%) and Turkey (69%).
There have been numerous reports on US public diplomacy efforts over the past few years. There seems to be a consensus that the US needs to devote greater funding and resources to its public diplomacy programs. In addition, there is a need for better coordination across US agencies and departments, increased engagement with foreign media and opinion leaders, and increased investment in education and cultural exchanges. US public diplomacy is to be active and integrated into the policy process rather than a separate effort forced to play damage control in response to negative reactions against US policies.
When commenting on such opinion polls, many raise the caveat that respondents are not necessarily against America, only the conduct and implementation of its policies.
US public diplomacy efforts do seem to have increased with the appointment of Karen Hughes as Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Shortly after assuming office, Undersecretary Hughes also succeeded in increasing the budget for US public diplomacy efforts. However, are these efforts for naught? What other metrics, apart from public opinion polls, can help to better understand the effectiveness of public diplomacy efforts?
In a now famous memo [4], former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld asked, “Are we capturing, killing or deterring and dissuading more terrorists every day than the madrassas and the radical clerics are recruiting, training and deploying against us?”
Similarly, this most recent poll suggests that US policies may in fact be creating animosity abroad faster than the somewhat revamped US public diplomacy efforts can address such frustrations.