Global Opinions of U.S. and Foreign Companies

Kansas City Star: Six years after 9/11, global opinions of U.S. sag

By most accounts the world stood behind the United States six years ago today, when terrorists struck New York and Washington, but global opinions of America have since eroded.

That’s true in Europe but not everywhere, according to studies of America’s image in the eyes of the world’s peoples — a growing field of research largely spawned by the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

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Throughout Europe, however, polls find negative views spreading. For every German today who holds an overall “favorable” view of the United States, at least two Germans hold an “unfavorable” view. At the turn of this century, a U.S. State Department survey found that nearly eight of every 10 Germans were thumbs up for America.

“The numbers we are seeing today are the lowest numbers that have ever been recorded,” said Steven Kull, director of the Washington-based Program on International Policy Attitudes.

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The steepest plunges in opinions toward the United States are recorded in countries that had traditionally voiced the strongest support — and thus had the most support to lose.

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In Africa, India and South Korea, favorable views of the United States remain as prevalent among the majority as they were in the early 2000s.

In many African countries, the favorable views top 80 percent. In fact, the percentage of citizens of Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Ivory Coast who say they “like American ideas about democracy” far exceeds the 60 percent of Americans who say those ideas should be promoted around the globe, the Pew project found.

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Paradoxically, negative views of America’s overall reputation have done nothing to tame the appetite for U.S. products and entertainment, the pollsters say.

I went to the Pew site and poked around a little. As I reflected on this, it occurred to me that the two groups of nations tend to have the lowest opinions of the U.S. The first group is countries that are Islamic or predominantly so. The other group is E.U. nations, particularly those of the old NATO alliance. Former Soviet bloc nations seem to have a friendlier view. The warmest attitudes toward the U.S. are held by the poorest nations like most of non-Islamic African nations, India, and even many Latin American nations, including, oddly enough, Venezuela.

The Islamic effect is not surprising. But what I find particularly interesting is that E.U. nations frequently point to America's promotion of "Cowboy Capitalism" and accuse America of exploiting the poor. Apparently, the poor across the world love to be "exploited" by the U.S.

Additionally, I found the table to the right in the Pew Global Opinion Trends 2002-2007 (p. 43). Notice that only 45% of Americans view the impact of foreign companies on their economy as positive (Canada = 48%). Western European nations are in the same ballpark. Now look at Africa. Every nation surveyed, but one, was at 70% or more. All but one Middle Eastern nation was at 59% or more. Five of seven Latin American nations were at 61 % or higher. All but one of the Asian nations were at 54% or higher, and five of eight were 62% or higher. Outside of North America and Europe, the only nations that had less positive views than the U.S. about foreign companies operating in their nation were:

• Palestinian Territory = 43%
• Argentina = 39%
• Pakistan = 39%

The nations that reported the most negative attitude toward foreign companies:

• France = 55%
• Italy = 49%
• Germany = 48%
• Argentina = 47%
• U.S. = 45%
• Canada = 44%

Again, it is Western nations that are most resistant to globalization. A frequent reason for opposition given in the West is that globalization exploits poor nations. Yet most poor nations would apparently beg to differ.

Comments

[Viola Larson]

Thats amazing given what I just finished writing about on my blog. I will have to copy this out and save it. Who knows I might need it later! I meant to mention Kiva on my last posting but forgot.

[Michael W. Kruse]

I appreciated your posts on Marx and Presbyterians. One of my single biggest frustrations with mainline pastors, even of many Evangelical types, is the tendency to filter econonmic questions through a (early) Barthian/Niebhurian socialist lens. At least Barth and Niebhur had the wisdom to change their tunes some. Our network of social policy folks are just more radical extensions of this socialism. They have more in common with the gospel of Marx than of Mark. This is not to say they intentionally embrace Marxism but that they've been trained to process economic questions through Marx's categories and frameworks. Thus, they end of up with statist solutions and zero appreciation for markets and the people who work in them. It is maddening.

[Viola Larson]

I found myself constantly trying to make sure I wasn't equating Christianity with capitalism or even being American but at the same time grinding my teeth over some statements others were making about capitalism. And I don't have any background in economics at all so your thank you was encouraging. A suggestion for something that would be light reading on economics among all my tomes would be welcome.

I think some of the theological problems begin when progressive theology starts mixing with the "Marx's categories and frameworks." South American liberation theology can be quite orthodox in the essentials, particularly if you read Oscar Romero. So what you have now is evolving theology along with Marxist thought. And I think that is where a lot of justice people in the Presbyterian Church USA are at the moment.

[Michael W. Kruse]

I'm not sure "light reading" and "economics" can be placed in the same sentence. :)

I would recommend Bulls, Bears & Golden Calves: Applying Christian Ethics in Economics by John Stapleford (a former Prof. of mine.) It is written to work as a stand alone volume or as a complimentary resource with standard Intro to Econ texts. It has very little of the funky graphs and numbers and plainly describes basic economic concepts with an eye to Christian ethics. I keep toying with the idea of blogging this book but haven't gotten their yet.

Another good intro that is not from a Christian perspective is Charles Wheelan's Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science. These would be my two first suggestions.(And both sell for about $11.00.)

I think your last paragraph hits the nail on the head.

[Viola Larson]

Thanks, I will order those.