In Indonesia, Clinton Seeks to Restore U.S. Image in Muslim World

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke forcefully in the capital of Indonesia today, the second stop on her week-long trip to Asia and her first trip as secretary in the Obama administration, about forging a greater bond between the two nations. She pledged to work together on issues, both globally and in the southeast Asian region, and spoke of a renewed U.S. effort to "reach out to the Muslim world" and restore the image of the United States abroad. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, and Clinton called it "a country that has demonstrated so clearly... that Islam, democracy and modernity cannot only coexist but thrive together."

Gallup hasn't reported any uptick just yet in the public's perception of how the U.S. rates in the eyes of the world, but we know, based on our 2008 Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index, that the public considers our global reputation to be crucial to our national security. In fact, six in 10 Americans believe improved communication and dialogue with the Muslim world will reduce hatred of the U.S., and three-quarters say establishing good relations with moderate Muslims is one thing our government can do "something" or "a lot" about. But while the public clearly sees a lot of potential in this area, half gave the government a grade of C or lower for reaching out to moderate Muslim countries. One caveat to this, however, is that 22 percent gave a "don't know" response, which could move in one direction or another, depending on how effective the Obama administration's diplomacy and engagement turn out to be.