America Secretly Popular in Asia
There’s a front-page story in today’s WaPo about Hillary Clinton’s listening tour in Asia. Not often reported, but included toward the end of this story, is a bit of data well-known to Asia watchers:
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs conducted a survey last year in the four countries Clinton is visiting this week — China, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia — and found that the United States outperformed China in political, diplomatic, economic and human capital “soft power,” a favorite Clinton buzz phrase. Indeed, the survey concluded that the view of the United States in these countries, even majority Muslim Indonesia, is “largely positive.”
So how do we capitalize on this asset? Dan Twining, previously an Asia hand at the State Department, has some detailed and insightful thoughts.
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3 Responses to “America Secretly Popular in Asia”
Last year?? This was taken last year?
This cannot be. Everyone knows that everyone hated the George Bush led USA.
The WaPo article is bizarre.
So the survey done last year in Asia — during the twilight of the Bush era — found the US was rated very highly in “soft power” even in Muslim Indonesia.
If so, then what is the damage Clinton is supposedly repairing? There is a fundamental contradiction there.
China's autocrats have always hated Democrats, and favoured Republicans.
Bush handled the Chinese very well…which requires skill. Note his blunt lecturing them on human rights in August…which they were happy to swallow as he balanced it with his presence at the Beijing Olympics…which was a major compliment in Chinese eyes.
Of course, Bush got no credit for that.
Clinton wanders aimlessly about…reading between the lines: getting up late, and not being on time for anything…and she gets (artfully qualified) praise on the front page of the WaPo.
Also, to echo Greenschemes: Huh?
Why did no one hear of this survey last year…when everyone confidently declared the US despised in the rest of the world because of Bush?
Seems now that wasn't really the case.
Why did the WaPo not put it on the front page then?
Vast liberal conspiracy is the only reasonable choice to me!