The latest Pew Research Center survey reveals a significant shift in global public opinion. The United States, once a symbol of admired leadership, is now seen as more interventionist and less trustworthy than China across much of the world. This marks a major change since Pew began tracking international attitudes over two decades ago.
For the first time, China enjoys a more favorable image than the U.S. in most countries surveyed. However, this does not necessarily signify a triumph for Beijing but rather serves as a sobering verdict on Washington’s current global standing.
China’s approach remains stealthy and incremental. Despite its intimidating tactics, such as encroaching on neighboring lands and waters, economic coercion, and human rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet, its expansionism often goes unnoticed. An example is its quiet militarization of the South China Sea, a region crucial for global maritime trade, and its stealthy land-grab in the Himalayas in 2020.
In contrast, the Trump administration has made American expansionism explicit. Military interventions in Iran and Venezuela, trade wars, talks of acquiring Greenland, and reclaiming the Panama Canal underscore this overt approach. Trump’s rhetoric openly embraces power politics, a departure from previous administrations that shrouded American actions under international order.
The undisguised approach has damaged America’s reputation significantly. The Pew survey highlights that 75% of global respondents view the U.S. as interventionist, compared to 45% for China. Even in allied countries like Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Australia, China now enjoys a better image than the U.S.
America’s strategic advantage was always its soft power—the ability to attract rather than compel. This created international goodwill that amplified U.S. power. However, Trump’s aggressive unilateralism, marked by interventions in Venezuela and Iran, trade coercion, and expansionist rhetoric, is eroding this advantage.
The Bush administration, despite controversies such as the Iraq invasion, worked to build legitimacy through international coalitions. Trump dismisses legitimacy as unnecessary, treating it as mere abstraction rather than a strategic asset. This approach undermines diplomacy, alliances, investment, and cooperation, all critical for aligning other countries with American leadership.
Once credibility is eroded, it cannot be swiftly restored by military might or increased defense spending. The erosion of legitimacy has transformed American power from leadership into mere influence, a challenge that goes beyond immediate conflicts.
The Trump administration increasingly views American power as sufficient for unilateral action, overlooking international law and allied opinions. This departs from the postwar U.S. tradition of seeking legitimacy through international law, collective security, or self-defense.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s nostalgia for empire and praise for historical Western powers reinforce this worldview, relying on great-power competition rather than post-1945 rules.
The Pew survey serves as an early warning of declining global confidence in American leadership. Despite America’s military and economic strength, the most enduring advantage has been its ability to persuade others of its larger purposes.
Rebuilding credibility requires binding great power to recognizable principles of legitimacy. Without changing course, American power risks being seen as a problem rather than leadership. This scenario presents a strategic defeat that cannot be reversed by any military or tactical success.
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