Americans are less anxious about foreign affairs than they've been for the past four years, according to the Spring 2010 edition of the Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index. Produced in collaboration with Foreign Affairs, the index is designed to track public views about international relations much the same way the Consumer Confidence Index measures public attitudes on the economy.
Research Studies: Foreign Policy
Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index, Volume 7, Spring 2010:
A Place to Call Home: What Immigrants Say Now About Life in America
Immigrants are holding fast to their belief that America remains the land of opportunity, according to a new Public Agenda study. Majorities of immigrants report they become comfortable in the United States quickly, even as ties to their birth country have become stronger since we last surveyed immigrants in 2002.
The Energy Learning Curve: Coming from different starting points, the public sees similar solutions
The first Energy Learning Curve ™ report, released in association with Planet Forward, finds the American people reaching common ground on at least 10 major energy proposals, particularly on alternative energy. But the public may not yet be prepared for the tradeoffs and challenges needed to make these proposals a reality.
Public Agenda Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index, Spring 2008: Energy, Economy New Focal Points for Anxiety Over U.S. Foreign Policy
The Spring 2008 edition of the Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index shows rising fears about the health of the U.S. economy are spilling over into the public’s thinking about foreign policy issues, and their concerns about the nation's dependence on others to satisfy its energy needs are particularly pronounced.
COMMENTS:
I have no confidence in U.S. (by Anonymous, on August 29, 2008)
I have no confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy. I view our activities in Iraq as simple American imperialism. I believe we started the war to position ourselves to control as much of the oil commerce in this area as possible. I also think the presumption of military intervention as a way to prevent war is absurd. I also believe we are arrogant to assume that others in this world want the American way of life for themselves and that it is our mission to convert them . As an American I now realize that there are limits to our power. I think we are a country that believes we should have whatever we want whenever we want it. I believe the last 8 years has demonstrated our limits, our arrogance and our failure as a contructive world power. The defense department is the first place I would look to reduce government spending and to redirect its role in foreign policy.
I have no confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy. I view our activities in Iraq as simple American imperialism. I believe we started the war to position ourselves to control as much of the oil commerce in this area as possible. I also think the presumption of military intervention as a way to prevent war is absurd. I also believe we are arrogant to assume that others in this world want the American way of life for themselves and that it is our mission to convert them . As an American I now realize that there are limits to our power. I think we are a country that believes we should have whatever we want whenever we want it. I believe the last 8 years has demonstrated our limits, our arrogance and our failure as a contructive world power. The defense department is the first place I would look to reduce government spending and to redirect its role in foreign policy.
Was trying to post a (by Anonymous, on August 26, 2008)
Was trying to post a comment about the Iraq occupation. I don't think war is a very accurate term right now. I think if the Iraqi government wants us to go and is reasonably confident that they can maintain stability, we should pack up and leave. Unless of course the agenda is to maintain a permanent base there as in Germany or S. Korea. However in terms of our responsibility to the Iraqis, I think we have probably killed enough of them to have effectively discharged our moral obligations.
Was trying to post a comment about the Iraq occupation. I don't think war is a very accurate term right now. I think if the Iraqi government wants us to go and is reasonably confident that they can maintain stability, we should pack up and leave. Unless of course the agenda is to maintain a permanent base there as in Germany or S. Korea. However in terms of our responsibility to the Iraqis, I think we have probably killed enough of them to have effectively discharged our moral obligations.
Public Agenda Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index, Fall 2007: Loss of Faith: Public's Belief in Effective Solutions Eroding
This edition of the index, examining two years of data, finds the public doubts U.S. foreign policy is working and is increasingly skeptical about whether anything can turn the situation around. The public shows a growing loss of confidence in many foreign policy strategies, including options that the public has always considered among the most promising, such as controlling immigration and improved intelligence gathering.
Public Agenda Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index, Spring 2007: Anxious Public Pulling Back From Use of Force
Public anxiety about America's place in the world has reached troubling levels. The Spring 2007 edition of the Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index suggests that Americans' anguish over Iraq is spilling over into other areas of foreign policy. The Anxiety Indicator, which tracks the public's overall comfort level with foreign policy, stands at 137. That is a seven-point increase in the indicator since the fall, edging closer to the 150-mark that would indicate a crisis of confidence.
Public Agenda Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index, Fall 2006: Anxious Public Sees Growing Dangers, Few Solutions
Americans see a world of growing dangers, few solutions and little in U.S. foreign policy that seems to be working, according to the latest Public Agenda Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index. This edition of the index introduces the "Anxiety Indicator," tracking the public's overall outlook on world affairs. The Fall 2006 indicator shows that public anxiety on international affairs is at high levels (a score of 130 on a 200-point scale), enough to show a deep dissatisfaction with current policies.
Public Agenda Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index, Winter 2006: Americans Wary of Creating Democracies Abroad
The second edition of the Public Agenda Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index finds new concerns pushing their way into public consciousness even as worries identified in the first edition persist. Most of the public ranks promoting democracy in other countries as the least important of the foreign policy goals we asked about (20 percent say it's "very important") and seems to doubt the United States can achieve it. Public concern seems to have moderated in some cases, as with America's image in the Muslim world.
Public Agenda Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index, Summer 2005: Americans Perplexed and Anxious About Relations with Muslim World
The inaugural edition of the Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index finds the public's concerns are dominated by issues that all lead back to the central theme of Islam and the West. So far, public thinking on this problem is a disquieting mix of high anxiety, growing uncertainly about current policy, and virtually no consensus about what the country might do. In addition, the survey finds the problems of illegal immigration and protecting American jobs in a global economy resonate strongly with the public.
Here to Stay: The Domestic and International Priorities of Latino Leaders
First comprehensive survey of native and foreign-born U.S. Latino leaders about their concerns and practices for U.S. policy. What issues do they think lie in store for their community: What issues absorb their own attention? How concerned and active are they regarding U.S.-Latin American relations? For copies, visit the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute Web site at http://www.cgs.edu/inst/trc.htm or call (909) 621-8897. 1998.
Mixed Messages: A Survey of the Foreign Policy Views of America's Leaders
Based on a national survey of political, economic, civic, and foreign policy specialists, this study probes leaders' views on U.S. foreign policy goals in the post-Cold War era. 1995.
The Rules of Public Engagement:
This report, written in cooperation with the American Assembly, explores the formidable challenge of engaging the public in debate about U.S. foreign policy in the post-Cold War era. 1993.
Id do a bit of everything (never happen in DC though unfortunately). Drill on the coasts and in Alaska (a stopgap at best but realistically it would be temporary and eventually the land would return to normal after the oil is harvested), Mine Uranium and Coal (stopgap as well), use natural gas from us (another stopgap), build wind power / solar (Id make it all tax deductable big time), and build nuclear power plants (a stopgap as well but longer term than oil since Canada US and Australia have most of the uranium), and look into oil shale (us has huge reserve) as a last ditch item. Id make Nuclear Power tax free as well (or subsidized by government). Anything to improve overall balance of trade and keep our cashflow here in the U.S. I would Invest in electric cars (like the Tesla company) but Id lean towards make buying them tax free with a hefty tax credit to boot. I feel the answer with alternative is tax credits and tax freedom/incentives, not government splurging and taxing. If you go with the method i propose the market will decide which alternative energy company succeeds. I feel cap and trade is just a way for the congress to find another source of revenue without calling it a tax. A more pie in the sky approach would be to continue to Fund fusion research (National Ignition facility etc and the European one). The problem there is materials science to find materials that can contain the heat of the fusion reaction in the reaction chamber. Id work on that first before building the fusion reactor. On the crazy side, Id move toward for zero population growth (yeah that will be popular LOL) since fundamentally people are the environmental problem when you get down to it. If you really buy into global warming thats the ultimate solution. Nobody will touch that with a 10 foot pole though as it would be political suicide. But I feel methods like cap and trade are just smoke and mirrors for the true environmental issue - we have too many people on the earth.