America Redeems Itself in the Eyes of The World

President Obama has brought a breath of fresh air into the White House, and now it looks like that heady wind is sweeping around the globe as well. The Foundation Center reports that a new public opinion survey by the Pew Research Center has found that perceptions of the United States around the world have experienced marked improvement since Obama came to town.

The Pew Global Attitudes Project surveyed people in 25 countries between May 18 and June 16 for the 2009 Pew Global Attitudes Survey. The results indicate that people's opinion of the United States has been restored in many countries to pre-Bush levels. Western Europe's attitudes have improved the most, but the image of America has also been given a new shine in important countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

There's only one country where the population is less keen on the United States than it was the last time it was surveyed — Israel. And though there has been some improvement in predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East, the opinions there remain largely negative.

But let's not get hung up on the bad news. Americans can rest a little easier knowing that in general they are now disliked a little bit less.