Political scientists report drop in US standingWASHINGTON — The United States' standing in the world declined in the past decade to below Cold War levels, according to a leading group of political scientists.
Favorable attitudes have risen sharply under President Barack Obama with his commitment to "restore American standing," but confidence in him appears to be in conflict with unfavorable attitudes about U.S. foreign policy, the American Political Science Association said in a report released Thursday...
...American standing plunged most sharply in the Middle East and Europe, although authoritarian regimes in the Middle East are more supportive of U.S. policy than they can say publicly, the report said.
In Europe, there is a growing European identity and "a conscious political attempt to delink Europe from American policies," according to the report...
Helping raise U.S. esteem now are Obama's rhetorical skills and "what his election signifies about the openness of America," the report said. [demagoguery and delusion, that's just rich - J.O.]
"In policy terms, however, most (foreigners) believe that there has been little change in the U.S. disregard for the interests of their country, and that U.S. influence in the world is still mostly bad," the report said...
Shocking, I know.
