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  Projecting Power - The competitive race for president may help repair the damage to America's image abroad, even before George Bush leaves office.
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Last EditedRP  Jan 15, 2008 11:20pm
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CategoryCommentary
MediaMagazine - Newsweek
News DateWednesday, January 16, 2008 05:00:00 AM UTC0:0
DescriptionIt's a truism among foreign policy wonks that during the Bush administration America has seen an erosion of its ability to persuade other countries to do what it wants them to do. The unilateralism, the blunders in the Middle East, and the Manichean view of the rest of the world have been so off-putting that, as poll after poll shows, the attitudes of people in other countries toward the United States have declined precipitously. To borrow Joseph Nye's phrase, the country has suffered a loss of its "soft power." Once Bush leaves office, the argument goes, America's image abroad will improve—but that won't happen until January 2009.

In the meantime, a more unexpected phenomenon seems to be occurring. The competitiveness of the 2008 presidential election itself might already be augmenting America's soft power.

Part of it is the candidates' personal histories. Barack Obama's rise to prominence has excited citizens in Kenya, the homeland of his father. Hillary Clinton has rock star status in Europe. One British news editor commented, "They are almost like superhero cartoons: the Mormon, the woman, the black, the millionaire, the war hero … We do love a good show over here."

Furthermore, from an international perspective, the cream is rising to the top. The three candidates who would generate the most excitement outside the United States are Clinton, Obama, and McCain. The probability of two of them securing their parties' nominations is relatively high right now.
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