Can America recover its reputation in the world?

Can America recover its reputation in the world? Fifty years ago, the US was considered by most in this world to be a respectable country that would help one in need if asked. We had just recently helped liberate Europe and Asia from tyranny and we were riding high with a good economy and strong allies in the world. An American citizen could travel abroad, almost anywhere on the planet, and would be treated with respect and kindness. Sure, we had our enemies, but they were essentially few and far between and even then their peoples still treated US citizens with respect. Over the next fifty years we would be engaged in a cold war, and various other conflicts, but we never seemed to lose our “good” reputation with the rest of the planet. In the late eighties the evil empire would begin to fall and everything looked as if we were headed for a new era. With help from America it seemed that the planet could finally usher in a time of peace.
Flash forward to the present time twenty years later. We are now considered, by most in the world, to be the new evil empire. Almost all of the allies we once called friends feel they can trust us no longer. Now, when an American travels abroad the respect that was once there has diminished. The events of the recent past have dropped our reputation to the point that we are now blamed for the planets ills and not, as we once were, called upon to save it. It has come to the point that if say, an asteroid would slam into the Pacific tomorrow we would be the prime suspect. I can hear it now; “It had to be that damn HAARP” or “NASA has been working on this for decades, they wanted to wipe out the Muslim countries around the Pacific Rim”.
We live in dangerous times; we have once again approached a point that a world wide conflict may no longer be avoidable. America needs to be a major player in creating peace and not a factor in destroying any chance we have of obtaining it. We need to regain the trust that we once held with our allies and strive to build new friendships with others. We need to lose the attitude and arrogance that has reared its ugly head and realize that if other countries don’t agree with us then that’s there right and not there problem. We must now, begin to mend our reputation with the rest of the world and become a leader in the quest for peace. In these times, is one foolish to even think that we can recover our reputation? I, for one, hope we can regain the status we once held and become a major force working for peace on this planet for I fear if we don’t we may end up being a major force in it’s destruction.

America's image was tarnished by the war in Vietnam and it was able to recover from that.

It should also recover from the war in Iraq but I doubt it will happen under the administration responsible for the war that led to the negative image of the US.

There may be another four years of negative attitudes directed towards the US government.

I think the belief that the rest of the world hates America comes largely from what you had been told by your own press and gov rather than the actual existance of this hatred. Of course being told this does create a cycle of hate where Americas say "oh well they hate us, so screw the rest of the world" which leads to the rest of the world doing the same until it sprials out of control. 9/11 seems to have been the catalst for all of this which is a pitty because the majority of the world was saddened by what happened and certainly was not your enemy even if they weren't "with" or "against" you in the subsequent wars. Now it's hard to say how much of this belief of hate has manifested into actual hate, although i do feel it has been growing since the Iraq situation. However countries looking out for themselves first should never be mistaken as hatred even if looking out for themselves means they aren't willing to fight in a conflict. There is also no doubt that certain governments have taken advantage of this situation and are trying to use it to their advantage.



[edit on 18-1-2005 by Trent]

From where I sit, the US had a chance under Clinton to recover its reputation but it didn't get as far as it might. He started out successfully selling himself as this fresh new face with an open minded attitude even if we was fundamentally corrupt and a hack for the NWO. In the eyes of the world, that contrasted well with Bush senior slaughtering Panamanians and then Iraqis.

I have travelled in over 20 countries and it make a point of discussing world politics everywhere and it is clear to me that most of the world wants to think well of the US but US actions and attitudes keep making that impossible. More and more people are feeling the point of no return has been reached and the US has become a permanent problem. The George W regime (and its RHETORIC!) is pushing that way over into the red zone.

You always knew it didn't you? The Bill of Rights is it!

If we want to believe it or not, a "decent respect for the opinions of mankind," is what makes this country great. When we depart from the Bill of Rights, and assert government anarchy over everthing, then we deserve neither respect nor esteem. When people saw the general decency of the American soldiers in WW II then the population of Europe realized what a great country we were. It was that "decent respect for the opinions of mankind," that told everyone why we were different and why we were the better country.

It is was not because of arrogance nor authority, although one would have a tendency to compare cultures and arrive upon those feelings of being better. But when each and every event in living within this system is manifest, then we have our respect. It is too bad that too many people are being ordered at the stake of their careers to ignore and countervene those strengths. But this attitude is no longer America, it is some stupid villiage in 13th century Europe with an arrogant rip off landlord reducing everyone to eating gruel, dug up roots and anything goes.

[edit on 18-1-2005 by SkipShipman]

we all come from europe at one point or another.can we take a look at the old world and see what we need not to become.america is about image.more than anything and needs to be put back to peace and hard working members of the human race.america needs to redefine its self and make things right.

I personally could care less whether America regains its "good reputation". The simple facts as I see it are that our good reputation of the past came from the US selling out its own interests to please the world. If that is what we would have to do to regain our "good name" then quite frankly I say # it. I would rather see an America hated by the world that looks after its own interests than go back to the days of a pussified america all the world loves.
To the rest of the world I say "America has finally remembered its strength, and once again found the will to use it. Agree or disagree with us we dont really care, but threaten us, our interests, or our true allies, and we will come down on you like a texas tornado."

All declining superpowers or Empires lost reputation as they slow started to fall. The British Empire, French, Soviet Union, etc all went through the same stage. America will recover its reputation, after it has fallen as a superpower.

To the rest of the world I say "America has finally remembered its strength, and once again found the will to use it. Agree or disagree with us we dont really care, but threaten us, our interests, or our true allies, and we will come down on you like a texas tornado."

After comments like that, you wonder why America reputation is going down the drain?

even Rome wasn't destroyed in one day. and how will ameriKa implode.

not thru invasion from a foreign force but from within. amerika will be brought down by the number of illegal immigrants ... besieged. that's my educated guess.

the sun has set. the economy is downhill all the way. the currency is fiat and worthless. not to mention the people running the country..

>>>To the rest of the world I say "America has finally remembered its strength, and once again found the will to use it. Agree or disagree with us we dont really care, but threaten us, our interests, or our true allies, and we will come down on you like a texas tornado."

Originally posted by infinite

To the rest of the world I say "America has finally remembered its strength, and once again found the will to use it. Agree or disagree with us we dont really care, but threaten us, our interests, or our true allies, and we will come down on you like a texas tornado."

After comments like that, you wonder why America reputation is going down the drain?

Well that actually doesn't sound too unreasonable to me. After all it would be hypocritical for the rest of the world to say "we are just looking after our own interests" and condemn America when it does the same. The real question is how far can a country go to protect it's interests... which is where the whole Iraq/pre-emptive strike debate comes in.

[edit on 18-1-2005 by Trent]

What I find amazing is that both of the last two posts ridiculed my statement and yet what did I say?
That we dont care whether you agree or disagree with us? Why should we? Are we reauired to agree with you? Are you required to agree with us?
That if you threaten us we will destroy you? Whats wrong with that? What nation will not use all of its resources to defend itself?

The fact is Americas reputation is going down hill because the rest of the world doesn't have the balls to disagree with anyone.

Think what you want about America and Americans, we don't care. You are as far s we are concerned irrelevant. Be our friend if you want true friendship, our enemy if you want to die or leave us the # alone its all the same to us.

Originally posted by mwm1331
The fact is Americas reputation is going down hill because the rest of the world doesn't have the balls to disagree with anyone.

I thought this whole mess started because the world actually had the balls to dissagree with America?

Think what you want about America and Americans, we don't care. You are as far s we are concerned irrelevant. Be our friend if you want true friendship, our enemy if you want to die or leave us the alone its all the same to us.

You see, that's where you are wrong and that's the problem. America DO care. Why are you in Iraq? It is not because you dont care and according to Bush it is not revenge (well that is another discussion).

The American policy ends up as a contradiction. Wants people to leave you alone, but wont leave other people alone. Dont care, but gets involved in everything. Its like a bully declaring he hates bullies.

[edit on 18-1-2005 by merka]

We are in Iraq for one simple reason, they #ed with us. We kicked them out of kuwait, and very generously decided to let the government tand. But rather than changing they lied to weapons inspectors, shot at our planes and thumbed thier noses at us. When Bill was in office they could do it because quit frankly, no matter how much I respected him as a performer, he was a pussy.

Let me put it this way I recently had a t-shirt made in the local mall I wear whenever I am in europe (and not wearing a suit which is rare)
On the front it says "yes I voted for Bush"
On the back it says " And no I dont give a damn what you think about it"

I really do not think that the world hates America as a country or the country as a people has a bad reputation. Many Americans whom I know are well adjusted not domineering and loving souls. It's just the policies and the attitudes of the government and it's foreign policy that many in the world cannot stand. Let's hope that this is an aberration in America's long good history.

WE still are the good guys wearing the white hat. Where's the difference in the world today? No, we haven't changed.

Can we get our reputation back? I don't want it back, not if by getting it back you mean the countries that I do not respect will start liking us again.

If America doesn't care about what anybody else thinks why was it so inportant to have "The coalition of the Willing" when you invaded Iraq, alot of the contries in the coalition doesn't even have an army

the american government hides so many things from us which i feel we deserve to hear. it will never get the rewpect back that it once had

Originally posted by infinite
All declining superpowers or Empires lost reputation as they slow started to fall. The British Empire, French, Soviet Union, etc all went through the same stage. America will recover its reputation, after it has fallen as a superpower.

To the rest of the world I say "America has finally remembered its strength, and once again found the will to use it. Agree or disagree with us we dont really care, but threaten us, our interests, or our true allies, and we will come down on you like a texas tornado."

After comments like that, you wonder why America reputation is going down the drain?

The thing that iritates the crap ou of us is that the world doesn't like us it seems, but it wants everything it can strip from us. Kuwait was a prime example. Right before it got stomped by Hussein, Kuwait was making a sport out of talking smack about the U.S. every darned week in the U.N. As soon as Hussein raped the big-mouthed rich, arrogant folks, they decided they really, really needed our help and maybe we weren't so bad after all.

The rest of the world is no different. I have no desire to be the big guy on the block, I have no desire to be the cop on the world beat, but I love the way the same people who benefit and are allowed to allocate governmental recourses in dorections other than defense can't wait for our downfall. This same sentiment may be what caused the Texas tornado comment. By the way, it is the sentiment most of us have. You don't feel the same way about your country and your true allies? By the way, we figure your country to be our country's primary "true" ally. This is something that you don't like?

America has turned into the worlds bully, and i think most people have seen through the facade of liberating Iraq. We all know this is about oil and money and securing the USA's position in the middle east. People are fed up being dictated to, having there cultures eroded and watching American bombs killing children. America is by no means the only accountable country but certainly the biggest in recent times. These people in charge are not the slightest bit interested in peace and I doubt they ever will be.


[edit on 18-1-2005 by niftymage]