Most Americans are shocked at the level of hatred shown towards America by countries around the world. They just can't fathom why on earth people would hate their country so much. And its just not the Arabs and Muslims that seem to have a problem with America. Of late, it seems the Europeans too have joined the bandwagon. So, what is it about America that these countries hate? It certainly can't be that they hate the American culture. In fact, most countries around the world love the American pop culture, Hollywood, etc. So, it all boils down to American foreign policy and its actions around the world. Certainly, thats what these folks (including the Europeans) don't seem to like or agree with. Now, American foreign policy goes a long way back. But, it would be worthwhile to focus on American policy post 9/11 to illustrate how America is its own worst enemy when it comes to projecting a positive image of itself around the world.

We all know what an immense tragedy 9/11 was. It was the most outrageous terroristic action ever carried out. It was a cowardly and sick act that killed thousands of innocent Americans. There was no question that America had the right to strike back (most countries around the world agreed). So, it was that America launched the War on Terror on Afghanistan and sought to bring the perpetrators of 9/11 to book, Osama and Mullah Omar included. It was a worthy cause and most countries stood rock solid behind America and empathized with America.

So far, so good. But, of course, trust the American Administration to blow away all the goodwill. The Guantanamo Bay detention camp was the worst advertisement for the US. The shameful photographs of prisoners being abused there, broadcast around the world, undid any public relation gains that the US made since 9/11. People were tortured and the rest of the world saw the US as no different from the many dictatorships around the world that endorse and carry out torture as a preferred method during interrogations.

Of course, the Bush Administration wasn't done yet. Iraq was to come still. With the Afghanistan front not fully secured and without Osama or the Taliban being vanqished, the Bush Adm decided to wage war on Iraq on the basis of "credible intelligence." Saddam was bad (no one claims otherwise), but regime change isn't the preferred method of most countries around the world. So, it was that the US waged war and found no "weapons of mass destruction" - the reason the war was sought to be fought in the first place. As a consequence, scores of innocent Iraqis were killed and no strategic gains made. In fact, it ended up creating a laboratory for Al Qaeda to recruit more radicalized Muslim youth to fight the US. What a blunder!!! Cost the US so many millions in dollars to fight this war and what does the Bush Adm have to show for it? Nothing!!

Its no wonder then that most of the world hates the US. They see the US as the "big bully." They see the US as the "world's self-imposed policeman." The US is the most powerful country in the world and therefore it needs to use that power judiciously and sparingly (only when needed). Perhaps, Obama is the man who redeems the US image in the rest of the world. Perhaps, its McCain. Whoever it is, America deserves much better than what its got thus far in the form of the Bush Administration. America deserves to be looked upon by the rest of the world for its many positives, its democracy for one. America has a lot to offer the rest of the world. Perhaps, the world would look at America in a much more positive way with a new administration in Washington.