Given its stature in Europe, a turn in French opinion about America may have consequences beyond that country’s borders—making it a strategic location for the next president to begin the long process of rebuilding alliances.
The next president must also achieve a better understanding of our target audience. Muslims, of course, comprise a large and critical portion of that audience, but majorities in the Muslims countries polled in a World Public Opinion survey said that America has a “mostly negative” impact on the world.
Islamic fanaticism and dogmatic antipathy toward America account for a good portion of this unfavorability, but so does misinformation about America perpetuated by al Qaeda and its sympathizers. This misinformation is often fed to the Muslim world in quick-hitting news clips or pictures on Al-Jazeera and usually depicts America in a woefully inaccurate or out of context manner.
Opportunities do arise, however, to counter this dangerous practice. Case in point: the Christmas tsunami of 2004. As images of American soldiers airlifting supplies into Indonesia and other devastated regions splashed across television screens it became nearly impossible to depict America in an unfavorable light. As a result, favorable opinion about America in Indonesia rose from 15 percent in 2003 to 38 percent in 2004, before falling to 29 percent in 2007, according to the Pew poll.
While 29 or 38 percent favorability certainly isn’t a cause for rejoicing, it does tell us that an important part of our target audience responds to positive action. As such, we should redouble our efforts to communicate with Muslims across the globe by revitalizing Cold War-era communications agencies such as the United States Information Agency and Voice of America.
Perceptions are difficult things to change. After all, perception is reality—regardless of the facts. But in striving to rebuild our relationships and recommit to understanding and communicating with our target audience, the next president can do a great deal to change the unfavorable perception others have of our country, and in the process he or she can restore the good name of the American brand.