The poor international image of the United States cannot be counted as news. This point has again been proved by a recent survey. A survey conducted among 16 countries by a US research center reveals that the people in two-thirds of these countries hold a negative attitude toward the United States; while nearly 70 percent of the American public is of the opinion that various countries around the world dislike the United States.

The US image is the worst in Islamic countries. In Turkey, Pakistan and Jordan, about 80 percent of the people hold a negative view on the United States. In the European Union (EU), there is very little public praise of the United States. Over one half of the people in the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and France do not welcome the United States. Even in Britain, a country with the same ancestry and language and special ties with the United States, just over 50 percent of the people like the United States. In Russia and China, two permanent members of the UN Security Council, the degree of welcome extended to the United States has not reached the qualifying line.

One of the important reasons for the rapid decline of US overseas image in recent years lies in its pursuance of a wrong foreign policy.

Since the Bush administration assumed office, US hegemony and unilateralism have experienced malignant swell, the said administration has formulated many foreign policies in violation of the norms of international relations. Washington quitted the "Kyoto Protocol", pushed a "pre-emptive" strategy and, together with Britain, launched the Iraq war without justifiable reason, claiming the lives of tens of thousands of innocent civilians and the situation there remains turbulent to this date.

The result of its pursuance of hegemonism and militaristic policy can only be harming others without benefiting the United States itself. America has always proclaimed itself to be a "beacon of civilization" and a "model of democracy".

After the end of the Cold War, the United States became the only superpower, possessing powerful "hard strength": Its economic aggregate accounts for a little bit over one-fourth of the world total, and its military strength is beyond compare. However, because of its abuse of "hard strength", the United States has not only seriously damaged the interests of other countries and disrupted the normal international order, but has also greatly mitigated its own "soft strength".

Not long ago, US Newsweek raised such a query: If the United States were to lead the world, who would follow it? While Associated Press (AP) sighed with feeling in a report: In past years, there also existed the question about the US international image, but now an "anti-Americanism" has developed to a worldwide scale, this is really a worrisome situation.

By People's Daily Online