It takes only a day or two of being outside the country to realize what a fall America's standing in the world has.
As a simple example, the world is taken aback that Americans have seemingly so casually given up their rights of not being intruded upon by government. Their phone conversations are certainly not safe. Nor even are their body orifices, with the Supreme Court having ruled (in 2012) that strip searches on arrest are permissible without any need for justification. What amazes more is that Americans are taking all this lying down. America, bastion of freedom? No more.
9:24 PM PT: PS: Some immediate context - Devayani Khobragade is an Indian diplomat in New York City. She has been accused of making false statements on a A-3 visa form to bring in domestic help, and of underpaying the maid. No one here has sympathy if she has broken US law; but innocent till proven guilty, etc.. In her defense, she says the bulk of the maid's salary was paid to her family in India. The maid went missing in June, and this was reported to the NYC police who did nothing. The maid's family was given US visas and brought to the US a couple of days before Khobragade's arrest. (i.e., from her point of view, the US attorney of New York is on a scalp-collecting spree; i..e.,the maid and family are being given permanent residency in the US in return for (false) testimony against the diplomat)
Khobragade was arrested, strip searched and body cavity searched by the US Marshals. Whatever the merits of the case against her, all of India is infuriated by that, regardless of whether they believe Khobragade broke some US law or not. After all, she could hardly be suspected of carrying contraband or weapons or being a suicide risk. But the news-outlets here are all dismayed to find that in 2012, the US Supreme Court ruled that such searches by arresting authorities can be made with no justification whatsoever. Indians had thought unaccountability of the authorities was a flaw specific to India, and something better was possible, i.e., America. Their disappointment is bitter.