United States’ International Reputation Nosedives - Rob Horowitz
Rob Horowitz, MINDSETTER™
United States’ International Reputation Nosedives - Rob Horowitz
As it did in President Trump’s first term, the image of the United States around the world has precipitously declined, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of adults in 36 nations. Nearly 6 -in-10 (57%) now say they have an unfavorable view of the United States, while less than 4-in-10 (37%) express a favorable view. In many of the nations surveyed, positive views of the United States are at the lowest point they have been since the launch of the international surveys in 2002, Pew noted.
Driving this nosedive in perceptions of our nation abroad are sharply negative views of Mr. Trump. A median of only 23% of adults across 36 nations express confidence in his leadership of world affairs, while a median of 76 % say they have no confidence. This compares to strong positive ratings for Obama and positive ratings for Biden, as well as correspondingly positive views of our nation during their presidential terms.
Citizens around the world also express greater confidence in other world leaders than in Mr. Trump. “Respondents have more confidence in French President Emmanuel Macron (43 percent), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (35 percent), Chinese President Xi Jinping (34 percent) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (31 percent),’’ The Hill’s article on the Pew survey documented. “Only Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu elicited less confidence than Trump, at 18 percent.”
There has been a particularly pronounced decline -- more than 20 percentage points in many countries since 2022-- in perceptions that the United States is a “reliable partner.”
More citizens of other nations today view us as not reliable (50%) than reliable (47%). Only about 1-in-3 believe we contribute to peace and stability or take other countries’ interests into account, as compared to more than 6-in-10 who now say we do neither.
International public opinion on the health of our democracy has also taken a large turn for the worse. Nearly 6-in-10 (56%), for instance, say the U.S government does not respect the personal freedoms of its people; less than 4-in-10(39%) say it does.
Especially where other democracies are concerned, the current negative views of our nation and president have real-world consequences. Mr. Trump’s unpopularity in Europe, for example, is one of the reasons that leaders in Britain, France, Italy, and Germany are emboldened to criticize our actions and to refuse our requests for assistance in our war with Iran. The perceptions of our unreliability are persuading more nations to hedge their bets and diversify their international trading arrangements, including building new strategic alliances with China.
In a Washington Post opinion piece, Fareed Zakaria spelled out the risks of our current international posture: “For decades, the global order was built on an American platform. Trade flowed through U.S.-designed institutions,” Zakaria wrote. “Security rested on U.S. guarantees. Crises were managed, for better or worse, by Washington. The global agenda was set in Washington. That platform still exists — but the world is no longer building on it. It is building around it.”
If past is prologue, our international reputation can be restored, but it will likely have to await a new president. Whoever succeeds Mr. Trump will need to make a concerted effort to rebuild trust. This will take a far different approach to foreign policy and international trade, one that recognizes that bullying and bluster can be self-defeating and that it’s in our enlightened self-interest to treat allies with respect and stay true to our word.