Should We Care What Everyone Else Thinks?

In an interesting op-ed in today's New York Times, former Congressman John Miller discusses the history of America's popularity abroad.  He notes, for example, that America was popular in France and Britain in 1939, when they needed us, but by 1945, when the war was won, we were unpopular--again.  So why the fixation by the left, including the Obama Administration, with what the rest of the world thinks of us?   Congressman Miller has the answer for President Obama if he wants us to be popular abroad:

History suggests that there is only one sure way for President Obama to ensure the popularity of the United States abroad: reduce the power of the United States or simply don’t exercise it — either militarily, economically or even diplomatically. The world simply distrusts the big guy on the block, and the only way to address this is to stop behaving like a superpower.

Is this really the approach that the Obama Administration wants to take?  President Obama's actions on the world stage indicate that the answer is "yes."  From sitting down with the Iranians with no pre-conditions, to backing away from SDI deployment in Poland and the Czech Republic, the President seems to want to avoid the exercise of American power regardless of the cost to our own interests. 

The correct course of action is to formulate American foreign policy on the basis of what is best for America.  America should always, always, act according to its own best interests and not just in ways that will make us "popular."  Congressman Miller agrees:

A much better option, of course, would be to pay less attention to foreign opinion surveys and more to our own ideals and interests.

Well said.