Released: November 1, 2007

Karen Hughes' Uphill Battle

Despite the efforts of the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, America's image problems endure as foreign policy, not public diplomacy, is the major determinant of how the world views America. In particular, the United States continues to receive overwhelmingly negative ratings in the one area that was the primary target of public diplomacy efforts during Hughes' tenure: the Muslim world. Recent Pew Global Attitudes surveys show that, among Muslim publics, favorable views of the U.S. have remained scarce over the last two years and in some countries there has been further erosion in America's image.

Read the complete commentary at pewresearch.org