# How can the U.S. regain International goodwill? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 14, 2007, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946 "2007-01-14T16:21:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/61 "2025-12-11T22:52:49Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Everyone hates the Big Dog, but many of the nations that line up against the US in the UN, are also lining up with the hands out for aid. Not since we slashed foreign aid, they aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/62 "2025-12-11T22:58:45Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Not since we slashed foreign aid, they aren’t. > **[FA.gov](https://foreignassistance.gov/)** > > ForeignAssistance.gov is the U.S. government’s flagship website for making U.S. foreign assistance data available to the public. It serves as the central resource for budgetary and financial data produced by U.S. government agencies that manage... Reduced to some, yes, but still tens of billions, in fact looks like $70Billion. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/63 "2025-12-11T23:15:09Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Everyone hates the Big Dog, but many of the nations that line up against the US in the UN, are also lining up with the hands out for aid. America’s wealth is partly an artefact of the relative lack of damage in WWII, and the abundant natural resources to exploit in the 20th century. The rest of the world has now recovered from WWII, and the world economy has moved on. Will a country that is not investing in education or infrastructure continue to be wealthy to the degree that the US has been historically? I get the sense that the US dollar as world reserve currency and US prominence in economics is proceeding on inertia, and until the international community can extricate itself from dependence on the USA without causing further damage. I really don’t think Americans realize how serious this is. The rest of the world forgave the Bush years as a foolish mistake, and the Trump years, but Trump II: Fascist Bugaloo is another story. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/64 "2025-12-12T00:43:46Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Will a country that is not investing in education or infrastructure continue to be wealthy to the degree that the US has been historically? The example of Russia indicates “no”. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/65 "2025-12-12T00:48:40Z")
It is amazing to read the original thread that considers W as the epitome of evil. The answer to the OP, in 4 words was “Eight years of Obama”. Now W is seen as some sort of bumbling idiot, done in by his VP but not inherently evil. In contrast with Trump. Now the answer to the OP is that it is hard to see when the whole applecart can be upset by a single mad idiot in one year. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/66 "2025-12-12T01:27:45Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > The example of Russia indicates “no”. Russia has never been a success. It was a world power- twice, but at the expense of it’s people. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/67 "2025-12-12T01:50:04Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > [“We will never fucking trust you again.”](https://www.readtheline.ca/p/matt-gurney-we-will-never-fucking) I"m not a diplomat, or military person, or anything like that; no special insights. Just a Canadian who goes to work every day to keep bread on the table. And I wholeheartedly agree with that headline. In fact, I heard it from a retired Canadian diplomat during Trump I, so it doesn’t come as news to me. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/68 "2025-12-12T01:54:04Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Just a Canadian who goes to work every day to keep bread on the table. > > And I wholeheartedly agree with that headline. Canadians likely said that same thing during the War of 1812. Americans said the same thing about Germans and Japanese during WW2. The British hated the French for hundreds of years- then were close buddy buddy allies for three wars. Never say Never. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/69 "2025-12-12T01:57:07Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The British hated the French for hundreds of years- then were close buddy buddy allies for three wars. Because they had come closer to each other on a host of shared values. We’re steadily moving away from the Fascists in the US government. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/70 "2025-12-12T02:33:57Z")
I don’t think you understand. This isn’t hate. This isn’t rivalry for power, or unexamined ethnic and cultural differences, or even reaction to acts of war. This is the result of an unmotivated, one-sided, peacetime back-stabbing betrayal of a brother. That doesn’t get forgiven or forgotten as the winds shift. Americans are nice people, and neighbo(u)rs. The relationship will remain friendly on the surface, and usually friendly beneath that. But the trust is gone, and it’s not coming back. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/71 "2025-12-12T14:30:25Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Never say Never. Sure. I’m 58 – how about, not in my lifetime? Because it will take decades to repair the damage of a rogue US government ripping up carefully negotiated treaties illegally, randomly pulling foreign aid, essentially siding with Russia in the war against Ukraine, etc. And, now it’s clear that the US doesn’t really have checks and balances, so even if someone totally reasonable becomes president and tries to repair the damage, four or eight years later, they could be dealing with another Trump or worse. How can you trust a country like that?? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/72 "2025-12-12T14:51:17Z")
I think “goodwill” and “trust” need to be separated out. The US can regain goodwill fairly easily, with a sane president saying and doing all the right things regarding liberty, trade, international law etc. The trust though is gone. Just gone. It’s not a case of re-earning it; it basically needs everyone to forget. At the point where “What did the acronym ‘MAGA’ stand for?” becomes a trivia question, _that’s_ when countries might trust the US as a long-term partner. As an aside, I’m surprised how much goodwill my own UK seems to be trying to maintain with this administration. I understand it’s play-acting, but the US is a smaller trading partner than Europe, and militarily they aren’t going to do shit for us right now. I wish we’d wake up to the new strategic reality. ETA: I guess Brexit has boxed us in a bit though, being completely isolated. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/73 "2025-12-12T19:46:11Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > We’re steadily moving away from the Fascists in the US government. I dont really like name calling- none are really fascist- they are Right Wing Populist- just like Hitler was before he became a dictator. And sure, the current administration is deplorable. But the last wasnt, and who knows about the next? I expect no one sane would trust this administration, but the Biden one was cool. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/74 "2025-12-12T20:13:51Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I dont really like name calling- none are really fascist- they are Right Wing Populist- just like Hitler was before he became a dictator. The term fascist is not merely a pejorative; it has an actual definition and Trump, and many of those around him, meet that definition. If people don’t want to be called fascist they should stop espousing it. > [@DrDeth](#): > > I expect no one sane would trust this administration, but the Biden one was cool. As I say, whether we could warm to a future president, and whether we can trust the US as a stable partner are two different things. I sure as hell wouldn’t sign any agreement with a duration longer than one term now, and I would no longer rely on the US’ military umbrella. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/75 "2025-12-13T00:44:27Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > And, now it’s clear that the US doesn’t really have checks and balances, so even if someone totally reasonable becomes president and tries to repair the damage, four or eight years later, they could be dealing with another Trump or worse. How can you trust a country like that?? This is the heart of it. No matter what the US does to try to regain that trust, it cannot be trusted past whatever government is in power. Obama brought back the trust that was lost to Shrub, but after eight years, Pfft. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/76 "2025-12-13T01:13:43Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I dont really like name calling- none are really fascist- they are Right Wing Populist- just like Hitler was before he became a dictator. The refusal to use the term fascist is a major reason for the resurgence of fascism. It makes it _safe_ to be fascist; the more fascist you are, the more people will avoid criticizing you out of fear of using or implying the taboo word. And relevant to the thread topic, as long as we aren’t even willing to _call_ fascists, fascist nobody _should_ trust us. Because a key step in regaining such trust would be suppressing the fascist movement. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/77 "2025-12-13T18:53:35Z")
The only thing we can do is if the American people change. And the people aren’t going to change. Gigantic numbers of Americans voted for George W Bush and Trump multiple times. 77 million Americans voted for Donald Trump in 2024. The world knows if another incompetent, hostile, dangerous fascist runs for president under the GOP ticket that 80 million Americans will happily vote for him. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/78 "2025-12-18T04:47:03Z")
On another note, there was a tribe of baboons in Kenya that found a bunch of trash humans had left. The most aggressive male baboons called dibs on the trash and started eating the meat they found. It turns out the meat was full of tuberculosis, causing the most aggressive males to die off. The entire baboon culture changed after that. After the most aggressive males died, women and more cooperative males took over the tribe. The tribe became much more peaceful and less violent because all the aggressive males died off. So I guess if someone set up giant piles of chicken wings tainted with ebola and a giant sign that said ‘no liberal pussies need apply’, that could work. Not that I’m encouraging genocide. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2025, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/79 "2025-12-27T23:26:02Z")
I found this thread very confusing until I saw the “19 years later”. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/80 "2025-12-28T00:09:13Z")
Biden’s presidency only barely bought the U.S. some regained international goodwill and trust, and the reelection of Trump promptly trashed it further again. I think it would take 8 years of a Democrat or sane Republican presidency to get anywhere back to 2015 levels. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946.md?page=5)