"Rebranding" America

The prospect of an Obama presidency, in the words of Colin Powell, is "electrifying" the world. From France to China, it seems Obama's celebrity status is sending a strong message to the world, about America and its role on the world stage. During the past 8 years, America has built an image as the world's bully; as an affluent and controlling overlord. According to recent polls -- and evidenced by Obama's rock star reception during his tour of Europe -- an Obama presidency could restore much of America's image as a land of opportunity and equality.

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times relates an interesting conversation he had on this issue:

The other day I had a conversation with a Beijing friend and I mentioned that Barack Obama was leading in the presidential race:
She: Obama? But he’s the black man, isn’t he?
Me: Yes, exactly.
She: But surely a black man couldn’t become president of the United States?
Me: It looks as if he’ll be elected.
She: But president? That’s such an important job! In America, I thought blacks were janitors and laborers.
Me: No, blacks have all kinds of jobs.
She: What do white people think about that, about getting a black president? Are they upset? Are they angry?
Me: No, of course not! If Obama is elected, it’ll be because white people voted for him.
(Long pause.)
She: Really? Unbelievable! What an amazing country!

For foreign observers, who need not necessarily be concerned with the particulars of Obama's domestic policies, it is most remarkable that a black man could rise to such a position of prestige and power. Kristof says that this is most remarkable because it contradicts many established preconceptions about American society held abroad:

Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes, which conducted the BBC poll, said that at a recent international conference he attended in Malaysia, many Muslims voiced astonishment at Mr. Obama’s rise because it was so much at odds with their assumptions about the United States. Remember that the one thing countless millions of people around the world “know” about the United States is that it is controlled by a cabal of white bankers and Jews who use police with fire hoses to repress blacks. To them, Mr. Obama’s rise triggers severe cognitive dissonance.

Kristof grants that "Mr. Obama's skin color is a bad reason to vote for him or against him. Substance should always trump symbolism." In this case, however, symbolism seems much more important on the international stage than substance. Whatever Obama's plans, the world is delighted at the prospect of a new face for America. This is as much a condemnation of Bush's legacy as it is an affirmation of Obama's image.

Thomas Barnett sums it up well in his comments on Kristof's article:

It's a neat trick to instantly rebrand ourselves from distant and harsh global authority figure to something much more in line with the frontier-integrating nature of our age--the self-made man who rises to incredible heights and beats the prevailing odds. The shift taps into a lot of things that the world has always loved about America.

The value of that shift, which would not occur with McCain whatsoever (and could possibly even backslide given his strong identification with punitive warfare) should not be underestimated.

Is that what Obama represents for America -- a "neat trick" that could gain us some measure of prestige and respect after the alienation of the Bush years? If so, we must seriously consider everything else that comes packaged with this "neat trick".

A McCain presidency would be inestimably harmful to America's image abroad -- no serious political observer denies this. It is just as sure that an Obama presidency would force the world to reconsider and reshape its idea of America. If an Obama presidency is truly inevitable -- as much of the media would have us believe -- we must begin considering the geopolitical and diplomatic ramifications of his ascent, both good and bad.