View From Down Under

US approval ratings around the world have soared since the inauguration of Barack Obama.  A new poll just released in Australia by the Lowy Institute is another data point for the trend.

According to the poll, in 2006 Japan was the country trusted by most Australians (73%) to act responsibly in the world, followed by India (68%).   China and the US tied for third – only 60% of Australians trusted the US to act responsibly in the world.  More tellingly, in 2006 39% of Australians did not trust the US to act responsibly in the world.  More Australians felt that way about the US than about China, India, or Japan.

The latest poll shows a remarkable change.  The US now leads the list of trusted countries, with 83%.  The percentage that did not trust the US dropped to 18% – the lowest of any country and less than half the number of three years ago.

In large part, this reflects the repair to the damage to US prestige caused over the last 10 years.  There was a clear perception that the US was not interested in dialog, not interested in engagement and consensus, and not particularly concerned with what any other country thought.  Whether this is an accurate reflection of US foreign policy is irrelevant – it was undeniably the perception.

That perception has now changed, and changed dramatically.

Although President Obama has shifted US foreign policy, there has been little time for that policy to work.  It is also true that many of Obama’s policies will be substantially the same as Bush’s – pursuing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, sanctions against Iran until they shelve their nuclear arms intentions, and etc.

But words have power.  Using phrases like “we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist”, instead of “axis of evil”, Obama has managed to shift global perception of the United States in a powerful way.

This is important for a number of reasons, but I’ll leave you with just one.  If the US wants to convince the leader of a democratic country to act in concert on an issue, how that country’s citizens view the US has a huge impact on how receptive the leader is to the US approach, and thus has a major impact on the ability of the President to gather international support.