What is the world's view on America's Foreign Policy?

Answer 1

Negative Views:

Americas foreign policy fits the profile of a self-interested pragmatist, rather than an idealistic benefactor: in that the USA will set the rules for the situation (based on its own greatest gain) and it will enforce those rules with military power, or "soft" power (economic pressure, direct diplomatic pressure, or clandestine methods):

• The CIA (the US Spy organization) admits to aiding in the military overthrow of Democratically elected South American Governments and installing (ruthless) dictators with American sympathies. (several sources) They also admit to planning 9/11 type attacks to support an invasion of Cuba (Operation Northwood 1960's). They also admit to installing spy networks, sponsoring and funding anti-government terrorist groups in Europe (and later South America) after the second world war (Operation Stay Behind), secreting out assets of the Nazis owned by European Nations (operation Paperclip), and carrying out terrorist bombings of civilian assets (Several sources, Contra Hearings).
• Invasions of sovereign nations based on false pretenses: Bush administration dismisses United Nations reports on Iraq, makes up false information on weapons of mass destruction, and then ignores second reports of the US government and United Nations inspectors that no such weapons existed.
• The USA has and does violate international treaties it has signed (Mendez VS Texas, US Supreme Court validates the violation of international treaties, and states that the USA is not bound by any international treaty & other cases).
• War Crimes - torture of inmates with oversight approval in Guantanamo (Bush administration) and compounds the crime by issuing a blanket pardon (Obama administration) - the act and pardon are in violation of international laws (sponsored by the United States, when it prosecuted the Nazi's).
• The USA refuses to submit itself or its people to the international court of justice (which can try them for these crimes) even though the United States founded the International Court of Justice (Nazi War Crimes trials).
• Tendency to behave in a self-righteous manner in terms of external criticisms; that is, often willing to make significant negative pronouncements about other nations actions without accepting external criticism.
• CIA backing of the Islamic revolution in Afghanistan to resist Soviet influence.
• Another would be the suppression of the Democratic government in Iran in 1953, which led to the installation of the Shah's pro-American regime, which in turn led to the Islamic Revolution backlash.
• US intervention in Vietnam which led to a protracted war there and millions of deaths.

Note that all of the above are examples of a nation very much aware of the practical nature of self-interest, rather than one fundamentally interested in spreading a beneficent philosophy.

Also, note that most (if not all) of the above are behaviors fairly common in the current (and past) international community, sadly enough. This does not excuse said behavior, though to castigate the U.S. as somehow an egregarious miscreant ignores reality.

Positive Views:

World citizenry still looks to the United States to lead in most situations - often times, the U.S. receives criticism for not being involved in a situation, despite many "international norms" which would seem to indicate that the U.S. should not be involved. For better or worse, the general international viewpoint still is that the U.S. is the country of last resort that problems should be taken to - that is, the international opinion is generally that if there is a problem (political, military, or otherwise) that no other country seems willing to want to take on, then it should fall to the U.S. to attempt a solution.

As a corollary, while the sometimes insensitive use of the US Military force is feared, it is also highly respected and counted on. Many governments intrinsically count on the U.S. to remain the de facto World Police force, and show significant distress when the U.S. does not always show enthusiasm for filling this role.

Many nations count on the U.S. as a counterweight to local regional rival's machinations, in particular count on being able to align themselves with certain U.S. foreign policy goals and be rewarded for it. Such rewards are often of very significant value to the local government, sometimes meaning the difference between the government's success and failure.

Additionally, many nations find the general push of the U.S. towards free trade and increased globalization beneficial to them. Certainly, there are downsides to globalization, but most nations seem to look to the U.S. as the primary champion of more open world trade, which is usually of general benefit to a country. It is far easier for a country to have success in opening other countries' markets to its goods if it rides on the U.S. coattails at international trade discussions.

Finally, while there is considerable resentment of the sometimes priviledged position that the U.S. attempts to provide itself, the general promotion of at least reasonably functioning international governmental organizations (World Court, International War Crimes Tribunal, WTO, etc.) has no stronger proponent that the U.S. Most nations are criticially aware of how much it benefits them that such international organizations have a strong supporter.