Does America's image abroad matter?

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There is no doubt that the US is capable of acting unilaterally, even successfully so. This ignores, however, the counterfactual situation in which the US receives international support. In general, such support would make the US’s desired outcome more effectively and efficiently obtained.

Ms. Wisner even tacitly accepts at least some importance behind a favorable image by citing as positive the small uptick in foreign perception of America’s reputation in 2007 (the flimsiness of this citation, however, was addressed by mentman). The correct implication to draw from the data is not accepting this small reversal in the large downward trend as sufficient nor automatic.

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American image abroad is a double edged sword. On one hand, it shouldn't be an overly driving force for policy makers, as the U.S. still must act in its best interest even if it offends others, however, In today's society, image does matters more than ever. We are facing serious problems on a global level that must be dealt with and they can not be dealt with by only one country, or even a handful of countries. Many of the seven revolution problems are example of these truly global problems. If there is any hope for the pollution problem to find fixed, it must be devised and implemented by the entire world, not just the U.S. For this reason, our image needs to be renewed if we want to be able to effectively work with leaders from all corners of the globe.
While making decisions, It is important to look at the way our foreign policy impacts our image abroad. However, it is not our foreign policy alone shapes our image. Much of the American image is a creation of our society all the way from what we eat, to the cars we drive, to the movies we produce. Some cultures are fond of the America way of life, others are not. What is important though is when our actions or inactions begin to directly impact other people's ways of life. Many American's are completely oblivious to the impacts our foreign policy decisions have on other countries. The effects are so large that you will find almost more coverage for the U.S. presidential election in a foreign country than their own elections.
The 2008 presidential election was truly in the global spotlight. Whether or not the extreme statistics of the global support for Obama were correct or not (~75% Obama 25 McCain), it is clear from the several trips I took abroad this year that the world really is rooting for Obama. On the surface you can attribute this to the fact that he simply isn't a typical old white presidential nominee, but on a deeper level, I think they are hoping that the American people, not the American politicians, want change and renewed cooperative diplomacy in the world. When Obama takes office next month, we will see if his promises come true and if a new American image will aid the new president in solving some of the major global issues facing the world today.

America's image is doing just fine. In Eastern Europe, that is.
But that joke aside there's a massive difference between the image of the United States and its foreign policy. Foreign policy is the actions, whilst image is, well, image. Image isn't linked directly to policy. Policy can influence American image, but the image is not solely influenced by policy. Individuals, more specifically leaders, have a large implication in what American image abroad is.
But policy shouldn't be changed because of image. Image can be a very important issue, especially for a large and important country like the United States, but this is a fake issue when it comes to foreign policy. Foreign policy is to be designed on national interest, international context and the people that are in charge at the moment. If foreign policy is done right according to these three issues it's more than likely going to spur change in image abroad.
David Morar

There seems to be broad agreement most in here, so I will keep this short. I want to reiterate the genius of President Bill Clinton when he said in his 2008 DNC Speech that the people around the world "have always been more impressed by the power of our example than the example of our power." The way that the world sees us has every bit to do with our security. Even from a realist perspective, America's security is ensured when the world views America as a single international power. For this to happen, other countries need to look up to America - both in the strength of its moral authority and in the morality of its army. But when the European Court of Human Rights refuses to turn over a suspected terrorist to the US because of concerns over human rights abuses, we have a hard time strong-arming other governments on human rights issues. And when the US economy is caught in the center of the greatest economic recession since the 1930s, it becomes harder to push our economic and trade agenda. In order for us to keep America as strong as possible, we must improve our image around the world.

The question of whether American foreign policy should be driven by concerns about America's image abroad or based solely on American interests presents a false choice. American interests are affected by the way America is perceived abroad, so it is impossible to separate these two concerns.

America’s ability to achieve its foreign policy objectives is affected by the way the world sees America. Sometimes America needs a significant, diverse coalition of supporting nations to achieve a mission. In other situations, winning over hearts and minds is essential. On the other hand, one can also imagine a situation where pursuit of an essential American objective will be very unpopular, but the end is so important that it cannot be sacrificed to global opinion polls. A leader who eschewed America's vital interests in pursuit of international popularity would be many times more harmful than the often criticized leaders who govern based on domestic opinion polls.

So then, the question is not whether American foreign policy should be based on America's image in the world. The more appropriate question, is whether (1) American foreign policy should be made primarily based on America's image abroad; or (2) whether America's image abroad should be viewed as a currency that should be accrued when it makes sense and spent when necessary. The first approach amounts to sacrificing American interests in the reckless pursuit of global popularity, whereas the second approach strikes a more appropriate balance between American national interests and friendly relations with other states. In today’s world, it often falls to America to keep the peace, to maintain the balance of power, and to promote stable economic conditions. These are responsibilities that cannot always be fulfilled if popularity is the end goal.

It would be just as irresponsible to say that America's image in the world does not matter at all. Thus, it is important to act in contexts where pursuing American interests enhances America's image abroad. For example, America has failed to pursue such an opportunity by neglecting the conflict in Darfur. This human rights crisis is also an essential part of the global war on terror. When vindicating national interests will also enhance American popularity or prestige, intervention makes sense. But to view America's popularity as an end in and of itself is myopic. There are times when America's interests run contrary to those of other nations. Sometimes strategic competition will make America unpopular even when it acts in the world’s interest. A responsible leader will recognize such situations and act in the face of foreign opposition, perhaps depleting some of the good will that was previously accumulated. In this way, America's popularity is a currency that should be built up when possible and spent when necessary.

America's image abroad is not as critical as some pundits have argued. On a fundamental level, it is important to remember that countries will not support the United States if they do not see it as in their interests, no matter how good our image. Conversely, countries will support the United States if they see a particular intervention as in their interests, even if our country's image is at an all-time low. Nonetheless, just because America's image isn't everything does not mean that image is nothing. Indeed, there are good reasons that the United States should be concerned with its image, for both domestic and international purposes.

It is very difficult for a U.S. president to rally his people in favor of foreign interventions if Americans feel that they are not well-liked abroad. In their foreign relations, Americans have always viewed themselves as serving a cause greater than merely their own self-interest. To secure support for sending troops to Europe in World War I, President Wilson told Congress that the United States was entering the war to defend the universal right to self-determination. In World War II, President Roosevelt explained that our purpose was to "make the world safe for democracy." More recently, President Bush declared in his second inaugural that "America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof." This notion that that we are doing good in the world is threatened, however, when our friends in foreign capitals demonstrate against American intervention and when polls indicates that Americans are disliked by large numbers of people. Americans, feeling that their sacrifices are at best going unappreciated and at worst causing scorn, will decline to support necessary interventions.

Our image matters for international purposes as well, though in a more multidimensional way than is typically acknowledged. Recently, the debate about America's image has tended to focus almost exclusively on the question of whether we are well-liked. But popularity is only one small component of our image, and there are a variety of other components which do not receive sufficient attention: strength, which must be respected so that our allies feel safe under our security umbrella and our enemies continue to fear our threats; credibility, so that our allies and enemies alike believe that we will follow through on our commitments and trust the judgment of our intelligence estimates; and we must maintain our reputation as a responsible steward of the global economy, so that we continue to attract much-needed capital. It would be a mistake to focus singularly on whether we are well-liked at the expense of these other, equally important components of a healthy image.

But now, in conclusion, the good news: this broader conception of America's image helps us understand why we are not doing as poorly as some of the popularity polls in foreign countries suggest. It is why countries like Georgia seek membership in U.S.-led security institutions, and countries as diverse as Qatar and Japan take comfort from the presence of U.S. forces on their territory. It is why in Germany and France, the "old Europe" countries where antipathy towards the United States reached a fever pitch during the run-up to the Iraq War, voters elected the staunchly pro-American Merkel and Sarkozy, respectively. It is also why our movies remain popular and our embassies are as busy processing visas as ever. Image in the broader sense should be taken into consideration, then, but we need not be too concerned with ours at this point.