THE GLOBAL POPULARITY FETISH.

Public opinion; Foreign relations of the United States; Sensory perception; Obama, Barack, 1961-; Bush, George W. (George Walker), 1946-; Muslims; Middle Easterners; Attitude (Psychology)

The article discusses global public opinion of the United States. Declining U.S. approval in countries such as Pakistan, Egypt, and Jordan are attributed to the policies of former U.S. President George W. Bush, while the author explains why the U.S. is obsessed with perceptions abroad and how it impacts policymakers. Opinions on U.S. President Barack Obama from 2008 are also examined and compared to mostly unfavorable views of Obama by Muslims and Middle Easterners in 2012.