U.S. Job Performance as Global Leader: A Mixed Report Card

Helle Dale / March 18, 2011

Americans are rightly concerned about the United States’ ability to remain a global leader. In Iowa, Republican presidential aspirants have voiced concerns over President Obama’s lack of decisiveness, and the battle over the U.S. budget currently underway on Capitol Hill has caused people to question whether the United States can afford a dominant position in global affairs. The proposed cuts in international broadcasting sound disturbingly like the end of an era, as did the news reports of the space shuttle’s last flight. Both have been proud symbols of the American can-do spirit.

Yet, the rest of the world does not necessarily view the United States as a nation in decline, which is good news. According to the report of the U.S. Global Leadership Project (2010), just published by the Gallup organization and the Meridian International Center, median global approval of U.S. leadership was 47 percent in 2010, representing a 2 percent drop from the year before. For comparison, the U.S. “job approval” as a world leader in 2007 was 33 percent. (more…)