Remaking America’s Image

Leveraging Obama’s popularity abroad
In the wake of President Obama’s 2008 election, approval of the United States in the rest of the world shot through the roof. Americans and foreigners alike hailed the beginning of a new era for the United States on the international stage. Yet, two years later, while Obama himself remains popular in the world, opinions about his actual foreign policies are much more negative. Though the president still attracts people abroad, the United States lacks a cohesive public-diplomacy doctrine that would turn Obama’s popularity to American advantage.

Between 2003 and 2008, America suffered substantial declines in its popularity abroad, most notably because of disapproval of the war in Iraq. By June 2010, however, the Pew Global Attitudes Survey of 22 nations showed that opinions of the United States had reversed. In Western Europe in particular, pro-American sentiments markedly increased, with France and Germany each showing 33 percent improvements in favorability ratings. As the survey noted, the most plausible explanation for this warming towards America is the significantly higher approval of President Obama relative to his predecessor.
Nonetheless, the revival of America’s popularity in the abstract seems to have more to do with Obama’s personal image than any surge in support for particular U.S. foreign policies. While the 2010 Pew study found that 64 percent of those surveyed had confidence that President Obama would do the “right thing in world affairs,” only 32 percent agreed that the United States considers their interests in making its foreign policy decisions.

Richard Wike, associate director of the Pew Global Attitudes Project, told the HPR that in “dealing with particular global hot spots, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Israel, [Obama] tends to get much more mixed reviews.” The German Marshall Fund’s annual transatlantic survey found Obama to be a popular leader with unpopular policies. While 78 percent of Europeans approved of Obama’s handling of international policies in general, only 49 percent approved of his handling of Afghanistan and only 49 percent approved of his handling of Iran.
Wike also drew attention to the limits of the purported reversal in foreign opinion of the United States, noting that it has not occurred to the same extent everywhere. “Particularly, [in] Muslim countries… Obama is more popular than Bush, but not by a whole lot,” he said.
The gap between the president’s personal popularity and the popularity of his government’s policies is a major challenge for American public diplomacy. “Having a president that is widely admired and respected in the world is very important to the success of public diplomacy,” Lisa Curtis, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told the HPR. “Yet at the same time, it takes far more than a popular president. One of the failures of U.S. public diplomacy… is that sometimes it becomes too tied to the leader.” It seems that Obama’s popularity can only carry America’s image so far.
Where’s the New Doctrine?
Despite Obama’s positive public image, U.S. public diplomacy has enjoyed little progress. Philip Seib, director of the Center on Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California, points to a disconnect between Obama’s speeches and his followup. Seib told the HPR that the biggest problem with American public diplomacy is that it is “not in sync with American foreign policy.” For instance, Seib explained, “If, after the Cairo speech, [Obama] had unveiled a plan,” something like “the Marshall Plan for Palestine,” then “that would have been something concrete.” But, Seib continued, “The world is a sophisticated enough place that words by themselves will not suffice.”
Despite anticipation of a new State Department approach to this problem, the “Strategic Framework” of Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale has received a tepid response. It failed to mark a significant departure from the Bush administration’s policies, which remain unpopular globally. According to Curtis, “When that [plan] came out, many contemplated it by asking, ‘Where’s the new here? This sounds very familiar.’”
Ultimately, the lack of strong public diplomacy will negatively affect America’s ability to advance its foreign policy objectives. “Rhetoric is one thing, but your actions must follow your words,” said Curtis. If America’s credibility suffers, even the high approval ratings of President Obama will not be enough to carry America’s foreign policies forward.
Beatrice Walton ’14 is a Staff Writer.