Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly last year, President Obama said:
We have reached a pivotal moment. The United States stands ready to begin a new chapter of international cooperation -- one that recognizes the rights and responsibilities of all nations. And so, with confidence in our cause, and with a commitment to our values, we call on all nations to join us in building the future that our people so richly deserve.
International cooperation depends on mutual respect, and today's Gallup poll shows international respect for the US has blossomed in the first year of Obama's administration.
Perceptions of U.S. leadership worldwide improved significantly from 2008 to 2009. The U.S.-Global Leadership Project, a partnership between the Meridian International Center and Gallup, finds that a median of 51% of the world approves of the job performance of the current leadership of the U.S., up from a median of 34% in 2008.
Having the world's respect is not the end-goal, of course. Rather, it allows for the opportunity for the United States help lead on issues of world peace, poverty, hunger, environment, and health. Increased approval of the United States also makes us more secure--increasing intelligence cooperation with allies and reducing extremism around the world.
As Gallup notes, the sudden rise in approval of US leadership comes after several years of stagnation during the Bush years.
Broken down by region:
Here's where we stand with the G-20, with changes from last year. Of the 18 G-20 countries that were polled pre- and post-Obama, 15 have significantly improved their approval of the US.
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Obama still has a full plate of campaign promises to fulfill with regard to reengaging the rest of the world by restoring American ideals into our foreign policy, as I'm sure he'd readily admit. We need action--not just words--on ending torture, ending discrimination in our military, leading on climate change, withdrawing from nation building, championing human rights, eliminating nuclear weapons, and emerging as a fair broker for all sides in the Middle East. But we cannot do any of that without the world respecting us, and this poll shows the groundwork has been established for real progress going forward.