America is not popular. So what?

As the President himself said "It's not a popularity contest."

Why is America so unpopular these days? Is it just because of George W. Bush? Is it because every country on earth are constitutional pagans? Is America wrong and everybody else right? Or is it a case of the underdog trying to convince a cynical and non-receptive audience? Did they not laugh Wilsonian principles off the map? What exactly is it that drives people so nuts about Bush?

Part of the problem is the public perception of the President and the larger issue of how this fits into the public relations nightmare the U.S. finds itself in. This problem was further exacerbated by America's invasion of Iraq. The explanations may be more straightforward than we think. We're so busy making things so complicated that sometimes the answer is obvious.

Everyone is out to knock out #1. Even some its own citizens want America to fall to its knees or at the very least slip up in the thinking that it would 'humble' them. That it would prevent them from being at the 'root cause' of everything that is malignant in the world. This simple approach assumes that a 'humble' America would translate into a more reflective,caring and compassionate America hence preventing a 9/11 type disaster.

Human nature, in all its drama, is just not that simple.

I remember in the 80s and 90s when University professors were advising their students to learn Japanese since it was the prevailing belief in academia that Japan was going to overtake America as the next great super power. Hence, Japanese was going to replace English as the language of business. Of course, they were wrong. To maybe 8 or 9 of us in the auditorium filled with activist students, it all struck us as rather infantile and premature. It was the 'thing' to discuss - the imminent and inevitable fall of the United States.

Even ideologues were in on the game. Communism, Marxism-Leninism, socialism, nationalism and other failed off-shoots of liberalism were all slated to overtake capitalism. They too were wrong.

Now all the rage is China. The whispers are loud enough to hear in the halls of the elite. The Chinese, apparently, are ready to challenge and replace American power. It's written in the Eastern skies just like it was for Japan and the communist manifesto. Just like the purveyor's of gloom and grey clouds failed to appreciate Japan's short-comings that naturally prevented this from happening, they are doing the same with China.

On the surface, China looks primed and ready like delicious angus beef. Explore deeper within and you see it's still very rare. The Dragon has real problems to contend with before they are going to mount any real attack. Its environmental issues are extremely daunting and it will take careful planning and extraordinary energies to solve their problems. Without their resource and environment base in order they could never hope to tackle an already stable American society. And they know it. It remains a horror on human rights abuses and its economic figures can't be trusted. Why? Communism, in all its secret and hollow glory, is not exactly a visionary system.

Many bit on the dragon, bear, samurai and communist assumptions. For its part, the tiger (India) may yet prove to have a strong bite but has much to learn and grow. Through it all, however, America remains standing. Perhaps not as powerful and gripped by true problems, but I will place my bet in Vegas on the eagle any day.

My feeling is that the reason they are so unpopular is because people misunderstand the U.S. They know little of its history proper. Their perception is how can such an obviously violent, decadent,troublesome and ignorant society (reinforced by television, parts of the media and pop culture in general) be so strong? That's my point. Maybe they are not as bad as everybody seems to think.

Yes, America must do a little more to ensure they are a friend and not an enemy. There is no doubt there are some things they should consider in order to improve their standing in the eyes of the world. Up to a point. They need not compromise their values, interests and beliefs (in a time when security is a key issue) to improve the polls.

They are successful for a reason. No? Maybe people should examine what makes them tick and perhaps they will learn something.