Last fall, I decided I wanted to be an exchange student. I wanted to go someplace else in the world, see new people and things, and take a break from the boring regularity of life back home. So now it's one year later, and I've been in Israel for about a month and a half. I recently started school, and overall things are going great. I'm having fun and I plan on being here for the rest of this school year.
When I first got here, I was curious as to what people here think of Americans. In the U.S., I've heard a lot about how both so many people around the world are supposed to disapprove of America's actions and support Barack Obama. And I was also curious about how people in Israel, in particular, might have a different take than many people in the world in general. So I paid attention. And this is what I've discovered, so far...
Of course, I do first want to point out, that I am only speaking based on the opinions of the people I know here, and not all Israelis. Further, the people I know here are not an even cross-section of Israelis. Among other things, there is a strong division here between secular and religious Israelis, and the people I know are almost all secular. But now, with that disclaimer given, on to the substance.
Unsurprisingly, I found out that a lot of people think President Bush is an idiot, and don't like the Iraq war (although that feeling seems to be less strong, and partially derived from thinking it was mismanaged). Many people seem to root for Barack Obama, although some people I talked to had doubts about him being tough enough on Israel's enemies. Interestingly, but also unsurprisingly, I found that people here are a lot more informed about current events, and watch/read/listen to the news more regularly than I have found among the people I know back home. But all this, you probably expected. After all, we have heard about Obama's popularity around the world, and Bush's unpopularity.
I also discovered that people had a hard time understanding the way America's political system works. This was both humorous and slightly saddening to me, as I have always wondered at the sometimes so non-sensical campaigns and elections are conducted. In one particularly funny incident, I found myself having to explain the electoral college system to a disbelieving Israeli. But I digress. Anyway, there were a lot things that I expected.
What you may not have expected, and which surprised me, is this - despite the Bush Administration's failed policies, a lot of people, especially young people, still admire and respect America as a country and want to move or visit there someday. That kind of thing gives me hope.
Maybe it's just the hopeful feeling of this election, but listening to the sentiments of Israelis has made me feel like there is still something left. Bush hasn't squandered our good will away yet, and with a President Obama to guide us in good international policies to renew and strengthen that good will, this country can still be a world leader, to guide the globe in environmental, anti-poverty, and anti-terror policies for the 21st century.
So I just thought I'd share that. The small collection of opinions I've gathered, for your inspection. Maybe it's a little something to cheer up those who feel, like sometimes do, that George Bush has ruined our international credibility for a long time. There is still hope...