United States' World Image Today

As we discuss America's image throughout WWI and WWII, how our nation was viewed as a mediator, a hero, and even an ever-expanding, greedy empire, I began thinking about the United States' image in the world today. And, the first thing that came to mind was the Guantanamo Bay controversy. Many believe that while America may be a world superpower, we do not have the right to torture potentially innocent people of other countries in order to gain information they might not even have. Not only does torture taint the legitimacy of our legal system, but taints our world image. We like to think of ourselves as the heroic nation that comes to the rescue of groups being unjustly persecuted, we like to see the U.S. as the superhero of the world, saving innocent peoples from violence. But when we are the ones torturing innocent people and using illegitimate evidence gained via inhumane treatment in court, we destroy our world image and make ourselves look like the bad guys.
And even though President Obama has closed the Guantanamo Bay Prison, the image of the United States as a bullying nation remains prevalent. The situation is only worsened by the fact that images of the prison were made public; the world can see what United States military personnel were doing to gain information from suspected terrorists, which created much outrage. Not only were Americans embarrassed, but terrorist organizations very likely gained support from furious men seeking revenge on the American people. And while we may have gained some valuable information through these interrogation tactics, it seems that to many Americans, including President Obama, the negative impacts of this prison outweighed the benefits.
As we have seen throughout the U.S.'s war history, deciding to go to war always makes a statement about what we really stand for. America's war involvement has most often been caused by a sense of obligation to protect the weak and to do what is necessary to make amends between the parties in conflict. And as citizens of such a powerful nation, many feel obliged to maintain this reputation. But when we see pictures of Americans in Cuba torturing prisoners, we know our image is changing. We are becoming what we have long tried to avoid; a bully of a nation whose policies seem to say that we can do whatever we like because we're America and you can't do anything about it. And no matter how we try to excuse our actions, we are beginning to abuse our power, which can only result in downfall.
Millions have been and are being killed in the Darfur genocide, yet our nation, the savior, has failed to put a stop to the murder. If we were the nation we like to think we are, we would stop making decisions so selfishly and arrogantly and start actually helping those in need.

Fortunately, Barack Obama has begun working to repair the U.S.'s world image. At the end of his European tour, he stopped at Istanbul, Turkey, a primarily Muslim state, and spoke of how the U.S. was "ready to re-engage with the world, including Muslims." This as well as the closing of Guantanamo Prison have helped our country appear more cooperative, less arrogant, and more likeable overall! While America may have gained a bad rep from Bush's eight years in office, it seems we can expect that Obama's administration will improve the way we are viewed by the nations and the people of the world.