How can the United States rebuild its international reputation ?

Question

The international reputation of the United Sates is in tatters after years of shameful disregard for human rights. The invasion of Iraq was illegal and has precipitated the most disastrous civil war. Hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis are dead along with far too many brave members of the US Military. But sadly for every honourable soldier there have also been despicable abuses by others at Abu Ghraib where torture and abuse of prisoners was widespread .

The US has institutionalised human rights abuses with the disgusting Guantánamo Bay prison where detainees have been treated in a way that no truly civilised nation could condone.

Those of us who know the US well also know that the average American is confused about what is going on in the name of "freedom and democracy". How can these noble words have been appropriated by a nation whose leaders authorise abuses of what they really mean every day?

So what now? How can the US recover its standing - I want it too, don't you?

I am very interested in the fact that some of the first answers to my question seem to come from (presumably) Americans who think that to criticise their country is an affront. Everything I say in my question is a documented fact. There is no opinion stating in the question at all. Freinds - you must be blind not to see this; and that you are part of the problem not the solution!

Answer 1

The best way to rebuild our reputation is to once again become a leader in seeking peaceful resolution to serious problems. The diplomacy that was in place for the first Gulf War was sadly lacking with Bush and Cheney's invasion plan for Iraq. The consequences of this ill advised war have had devastating consequences for both America and the Iraqis. American needs to become the leader for alternative energy, needs to place human rights ahead of military confrontation, and needs to work to defuse the conflagration that is consuming us in Iraq.

Answer 2

A change of government first and a big change in how America approaches other countries. One major difficulty for America is that it is seen as uncultured by many other nations, except us British, who have a more or less shared culture with Americans anyway. So, on the diplomatic front, Uncle Sam must pull out all the stops and lay on American culture big time - opera, dance, poetry and the arts in general. A ten yard thick red carpet showing the way - Hollywood stars are always a boost, try a few scattered thru' any diplomatic event. It works wonders, esp if you're the ambassador for Iran and dying to meet Geo.Clooney et al. You'd be surprised just how well this works. The late Leonid Brezhnev was mad about Cowboy movies and had a huge collection of classic American cars. The Yanks knew all of this and when he went to America they got him to Texas and took him to Chuck Conner's ranch - monster big hamburgers made with today's beef, six guns, chaps the whole deal. Result, one very happy Brezhnev ready to do the biz.

Answer 3

I am not American nor am I biased, but prior to the invasion of
Iraq, Saddam had every intention of building a weapon of mass
destruction and would use it at his leisure and now Iran's
doing the same. I assume that you are an Islamic and part of
the propaganda machine. FYI the USA can regain their reputation
by invading Iran and do a proper job this time. I must admit that
Iraq was a bit messy but americans learn quickly and I can
promise you that the next time it will be better. May your Allah
be merciful to you as you are to the innocent victims that you
beheaded with such relish.

Answer 4

The only solution would be to grant all terrorist amnesty and have them enter our country through our southern borders so they could blow up whatever they want to pay us back for defending our rights to freedom. The world need to grow a set of balls to stand up together to defeat terrorism completely. How dare you accuse human rights violations when simply by strapping bombs on ones self and blowing up innocent people is a far greater violation then anything the US has done. Do you think there is any Human rights violations in Darfur ? What has the world done for that ? What the current leadership in the United Nations had done for the oil for food in Iraq fall under violations of Human rights ? The leader ship of North Korea is starving its people to use all of its money for the military may also violate Human rights. You cannot have it one way and not the other. The average American is not confused about the war on terror. We know the terrorist need to be defeated. What we are confused on , is that most of the world ignores this threat in the hope that it will go away. There has been no violations of human rights at Guantanamo bay. prove it.

Answer 5

The international reputation of any country more powerful militarily, more successful financially, with its citizenry having more freedom than any other country in the world; where no one is trying to climb a fence to leave; where thousands try to cross oceans, rivers, gulfs, lakes and desolate land areas and otherwise sneak into it; a country where all opinions are allowed without any retribution; a country which all other nations keep screaming at to help any other cause (Darfur, etc) except any cause that might help its own self-defense; a country where men and women can volunteer for military service; a country where its citizenry can sue the government and any elected official; a country whose army is under civilian control and not the other way around; a country that like any other country, has the right to self-defense.

Have you ever heard of a game called King of The Hill?

America has no need to excuse, justify and otherwise appease anyone else in its bid to remain where it is ... on top of the hill.

Be proud of your country for a change. You are an American, are you not? Stop feeling guilty for the success of you and your country.

If you want to pick on someone, pick on terrorist coward scum bags that send their children strapped with bombs to kill innocent civilians; who hide in schools and hospitals like vermin. Stop believing CNN,BBC,CBS,NBC,MSNBC, AP, REUTERS; read your facts and make your decisions by thinking, not by emotional drivel spoon-fed to you by the mass media.

America's standing matters to America. Nobody likes the one on top of the hill, just because they are there. Grow up.

Answer 6

I think we need to come out of Iraq for a start. But now we can't do that because we've kinda started a civil war. However, currently the US is trying to repair the damage it's done to the country that we didn't even need to be in in the first place (If you remember correctly, it was AFGANASTAN that bombed the world trade center on 9/11!!! Bush though Irag was feeding nuclear weapon to Bin Laden!!!). We are trying to fix the problem we started and for now that's all we can do.

And I think that some people have extremely close minded views about the situation. It's most governments and cult that kill babies you know. I'm more worried about what the citizens think. As you may have learned from the American Revolution a small group of farmers don't give up so easily.

Answer 7

We rebuild our reputation by doing what is best for our country. There are so many Americans that just want to please every country, so we wind up pleasing nobody. We need to just try to do what is right and we need to do that completely separate from the UN. Operating with them implies that we are trying to do what is best for every country in the world. Having our international relations put in that context makes any action of self-interest look selfish.

But honestly, we really do need to try to do the right thing and serve our own self-interest. We are the biggest kid on the block, so everybody is going to be gunning for us and everybody is going to have something nasty to say. The only way we could help that is by disbanding. So let's just try to be the best America we can be and if we are happy with that, who cares what Syria, France and Venezuela think?

Answer 8

Yes, not to mention conquering Hawaii, being the only Nation on Earth to use Nuclear weapons against billions of civilian’s children women(Having 10000 atomic bombs and then thinking they have the right to decide others may not have one single bomb), Imperialist politics all over the World and then being surprised of the retaliation from the bin laden freak who Americans supported in the first place, Inventing the Vietnam war that cause billions of deaths and then losing war, conquering Texas from Mexico, etc, etc, etc, And I am not even going to mention internal politics(they treat their own citizens like dogs), America is the Hitler now. And the user USN is retarded, he is the perfect example of American trash.

Answer 9

you're saying our invasion of Iraq replaced into unlawful. HOW? WHY? Be precise--suited. replaced into it by using fact the United international locations did no longer approve it earlier? in the experience that your answer is sure, that will strengthen many-- lots greater serious-- questions. ----------------- you're saying hundreds of hundreds of Iraquis are lifeless by using u . s . a .. show it. Saddam Hussain killed an envisioned 3 hundred,000 to 4 hundred,000 of his very own people in his final ten years. He had people taken from their beds at evening, taken to a distant container, device gunned down and buried with a bulldozer. He had dissenters tied to a placed up interior the village sq. and the individuals ordered to be there to computer screen as his tongue replaced into decrease off and he bled to dying. those are from the early on NYT's comments.

Answer 10

You are a complete idiot! human rights are and have been nonexistent in Iraq and many other nations, murdering and suppressing their own citizens there are so many examples of this that are fact but I waste my time pointing this out to an imbecile like you! there is no excuse for prisoner abuse etc these people have been or will be convicted, there is no such justice in various societies our great nation is a fine example of a civilized nation! you just do not get the big picture do you sport...take your blinders off and look at the world fifty or a hundred years from now, appeasement does not work, you have been fed to much CNN/BBC liberal garbage, you are the reason for the decline of western civilization.

Answer 11

when you read your responses...you will see what the true problem is, according to the world stage:
the problem is the arogance of the american people as seen by the rest of the world..answers like: stop helping the world for 6 months and then hand the beggars a sandwich...are typical of what the attitude to the rest of the world is, as is seen by another of your responses...TO WHO?...
It actually comes from a huge lack of education on the part of the american people....the school systems in the US don't teach enough about the rest of the world, so there is a big gap in knowledge.
American people know that your country is wealthy....as compared to the rest of the world...your people know that your country is powerful because of that wealth and also because of the weapons you possess...the PROBLEM that is not realized by people who want to close your borders to trade with other countries, is that americans need trade too !!!....
just have a look in your closets and cupboards and see what countries your items are made in...then realize that it is not just YOU helping the OTHER countries...it is the other countries helping YOU too !!!
When the american people start to realize that you cannot survive without the rest of the world'd economy and goods, then maybe a bit of humility will come to play. THEN and ONLY THEN will the USA be able to start to build a better reputation with the rest of the world and not be so utterly despised.
You know...I was in Mexico at an all-inclusive resort...and all was well, until a bunch of americans showed up half drunk and were VERY loud, VERY boistrous, VERY rude to other people...and were jumping in the fountain and ordering people around as if they owned the resort...
THAT is just exactly the type of behaviour that is seen by the rest of the world to be typical of americans.
So before you can start to play nice-nice with the rest of the world,,,you have to teach the children of your society better manners...unfortunately...it's going to take a generation or two to fix the problems caused by the excesses of this generation. I sincerely hope that more people like you are recognizing the problem and are wishing and working to fix it.

Merry Christmas