Mona Charon doesn't think so:
Americans, one suspects, pay far more attention to these global popularity contests than other nations. Can you imagine Vladimir Putin or Hu Jintao poring over these results? Ah, 50 percent of Germans have a favorable view of Russia compared with only 38 percent of Brazilians! Fifty-eight percent of Indonesians like the Chinese, but only 39 percent of Mexicans feel the same! Summon our image-makers!
I can't speak to Putin, but according to John Lee, Charon's suspicions are wrong about China. In the American Interest, Lee detailed how the Chinese do indeed spend a lot of time thinking about their global image and pay particular attention to how the U.S. is able to cultivate its "soft power" and global goodwill - all so that the Chinese rise to power will be viewed as a benign event.
