U.S. Government

"With the reelection of George W. Bush, American voters have spoken. Now it is the turn of global consumers," writes Thomas Mucha. According to Simon Anholt, a specialist in international branding, the reelection of Bush is "undoubtedly the worst thing that could have happened. Bush has presided over a period of unparalleled decline in the popularity of the United States. Global disapproval of U.S. foreign policy has become so intense that it is spilling over and contaminating the image of U.S.

Two recent studies of international opinion have found a drop in williness to buy products from American companies. "People felt exploited by global expansion, inundated by our entertainment products, and put off by our arrogance," reports Kristina Sacci. Within the past two years, she notes, "the number of consumers who use U.S. products from companies such as Microsoft and McDonald's had dropped to 27% from 30%. Non-U.S.

A leaked draft public relations plan for the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection bureau suggested "repeating the message, in the weeks leading up to the presidential election, that America is safer," reports the Washington Post.

"For nearly four years, and with rising intensity, scientists in and out of government have criticized the Bush administration, saying it has selected or suppressed research findings to suit preset policies, skewed advisory panels or ignored unwelcome advice, and quashed discussion within federal research agencies," reports Andrew Revkin. The clash has been especially intense and prolonged regarding the issue of global warming, where "scientists say that objective and relevant information is ignored or distorted in service of pre-established policy goals.