U.S. credibility takes a hit: Arab poll

BRUSSELS, June 29 (Xinhua) -- The latest Arab public opinion poll suggests that the credibility of the United States has taken a hit, according to an article published recently on the Modern Diplomacy website.

The article said the United States' credibility problem is compounded by what former Indonesian ambassador in Washington Dino Patti Djalal and Michael Sheldrick, co-founder of Global Witness, see as more broad resentment in the Global South against the West.

"The West is perceived to perpetuate double standards on issues ranging from climate action and responsibility to trade and accountability for human rights violations ... They called for global solidarity during the pandemic while instead often pursuing vaccine nationalism. Western nations preach free trade but increasingly engage in protectionism," Djalal and Sheldrick said in an op-ed.

"Perceptions of Western hypocrisy in the Global South, compounded by bitter memories of past interventions, have made our divided world even more polarized and have pushed old friends and partners to turn to new sources of development finance that come with less baggage and fewer strings attached, at least in theory," said Djalal and Sheldrick.

Against this backdrop, the recent Arab Youth Survey, conducted by public relations agency Asda'a BCW, indicated the credibility problem the Biden administration needs to address to narrow the gap.

In other words, often unexplained contradictions in policy are catching up with the United States, but it retains sufficient ground to bridge the gap if officials recognize that credibility has become far more critical in a world of competing powers, said the article.