Last week the Pew Global Attitudes Project released its 2009 poll results on the US image in the world.  This year’s results showed a dramatic change since last year’s poll.  With Obama’s election, views of the US by people around the world have improved dramatically.  Considering that during the presidential campaign, Obama was receiving a tremendous outpouring of support from around the world, this result is not altogether surprising.  Amidst this good news, however, the poll indicates that there remain real reasons for concern, particularly amongst those in the Muslim world.  Although Obama’s election has certainly improved the view of the US by many around the world, many of those whose opinions count most in America’s struggle against terrorism have not been won over by Obama’s persona nor his oratory skills.  They are waiting for concrete changes in US policy.

Certainly there is much to celebrate in this poll, particularly regarding America’s relations with its traditional friends and allies.  In Britain positive views of the US increased from 53 to 69 percent.  In France, there was a 33 percentage point increase to 75 percent favorability.  And in Germany favorable ratings of the US increased from 31 to 64 percent.  In Germany and France more people expressed support for Obama than for Angela Merkel or Nicolas Sarkozy.  Although America’s foreign policy interests are impacted by a variety of factors, certainly having a favorable public in allied countries should not be underestimated.

Admittedly, however, getting Europeans to like Americans should be considered low hanging fruit.  My guess is that few Europeans would report that the US foreign policy of the past several years has impacted them on a personal level.  Rather, their disdain for the Bush administration had more to do with the symbolic “ugly American” that it represented – the swaggering American cowboy quick to pull his pistol rather than resort to more “civilized” discourse.  So, it’s not surprising that when the symbolic ugly American exits the stage, approval ratings rebound.

Considering that our experience with the Iraq war has demonstrated that the go-it-alone approach to US foreign policy is seriously flawed, having the Europeans on board is certainly a welcome change.  Unfortunately, however, it’s not enough.

The element of this poll that should have us all concerned is that which deals specifically with the Muslim world.  We are currently engaged in two wars simultaneously – both in the Muslim world.  One of the often heard refrains in these conflicts refers to the need to win the “hearts and minds” of the local population.  Unfortunately, the recent Pew polling shows that in the parts of the world that are intimately tied our national security,  America continues to be seen in a very negative light.  Since last year, in Turkey, US favorability inched up from 12 to 14 percent.  Since 2007, positive views of the US in the Palestinian territories increased from 13 to 15 percent.  During the past year favorable views of the US in Pakistan have decreased from 19 to 16 percent.   There were, however, somewhat more positive answers when respondents were asked if they felt that the US would do the right thing in world affairs.

Of course, one would not expect that the election of a charismatic leader would dramatically shift the views of these people, many of whom have been affected on a personal level by US policy.   It will take much more.  The Muslim world is waiting for real changes in US policy.  So far, Obama has at least been saying the right things.  The Cairo speech was a positive first step and the Pew poll shows that in some countries there was a slight increase in support for the US after that speech.  However, it will take more than one speech to undo years of mistrust.  Muslims are waiting to see if positive actions will follow the President’s eloquent words.

Probably the biggest single issue that dominates the Muslim psyche  is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  The bipartisan Iraq Study Group pointed to this issue as an important component to the resolution of the conflict in Iraq – not because it has a direct link to Iraq, but rather, because it leads to a common sense of injustice amongst Muslims that inflames tensions and inspires extremist recruits.  President Obama’s appointment of George Mitchell to head up America’s efforts in restarting the peace process is certainly a step in the right direction.  However, it’s going to take a concerted effort, willing Israeli and Palestinian partners, and tremendous political capital to make serious headway.

But it’s not just about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Although favorability ratings of the US increased slightly in most Muslim countries, they actually decreased in Pakistan, a country that is ground zero in the current struggle against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.  The Obama administration’s new strategy for the Af-Pak region that stresses a civilian surge along with an expanded military presence is a step in the right direction.  The related legislation for a dramatic increase in humanitarian and development assistance has finally passed the Senate and House and must now proceed to conference committee.  Every day of delay in this process strengthens the hand of the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Until some concrete progress is made that truly affects the lives of the Muslim, my expectation is that the view of the Muslim world towards the US will remain quite negative, further complicating our most serious foreign policy challenges.  Although we aren’t seeking to win a popularity contest, if we do expect to win hearts and minds, these poll results show that we still have long way to go.  It will take more than a charismatic leader or a good speech to heal years of mistrust and animosity.

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