A S P E C I A L R E P O R T B Y T H E C R O N K I T E S C H O O L A N D S T U D E N T M E D I A

ASU PRESIDENTIAL DEBATEASU PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE“Our Borders and Beyond”

ABOUT THIS PROJECTOn Oct. 13, media outlets

from around the world willdescend upon ASU to coverthe last of the presidentialdebates before the crucialNovember election.

Because of the impor-tance of this debate, stu-dents from the WalterCronkite School ofJournalism and MassCommunication andStudent Media have joinedforces to present a series ofstories in print, on the weband on radio and televisionover the next few weeks.

Today’s special report,America’s Image Abroad, isthe third of five to appear inThe State Press. Remainingtopics include the war inIraq and what it takes to puton a debate.

Also look for the follow-ing coverage this week bystudent journalists on TV,radio and the Web:

Wednesday◆ Noon: Special livenewscast with “ImageAbroad” coverage.

◆ 4 p.m.: “Press Pass at 4,”Homeland Security chiefTom Ridge visits Nogales;Germany’s current view ofAmerica; and budget cutsat veterans hospitals.

Wednesday on SDTV-Ch. 2◆ 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.:Feature story on America’simage abroad; foreignexchange students offertheir take on the issues.

Wednesday ◆ Noon: Special live news-cast with “Image Abroad”coverage.

Mondays and Tuesdays◆ Catch special coverage atthe top of the hour from 12 -5 p.m.

www.asuwebdevil.com◆ Point/Counterpoint onU.S. Image Abroad

◆ Student voting guide

Tom Vitron, convergence coordinator,Lindsay Butler, editor, Amanda Keim,assistant editor, Aldei Gregoire, photoeditor, Ben Honingford, design editor

WEB DEVIL

America’s Image AbroadAmerica’s Image Abroad

America:Bigger than our bordersForeign students’ perceptions of

American culture might surprise you

BY EVONNE S. AVALOS

For some people, American culture can besummed up by the wholesome trio of mom, base-ball and apple pie. For others, it’s defined byimages of Coca-Cola, Levi’s and Britney Spears.There’s no doubt, however, that American ideasand products have infiltrated even the mostremote corners of the world.

Such is the phenomenon called “globalization.”Simply put, globalization is the meshing of manycultures into one giant, worldwide culture withEnglish as an international language. Individualcultures are not lost in this process, but bor-rowed and blended into new ideas.

How do some of the 3,300 international stu-dents at ASU view the globalization of Americanculture? Do they embrace or reject the world-wide spread of McDonald’s, MTV and MickeyMouse? Their answers might surprise you.

“I don’t think there is a culture that isAmerican culture,” said Daehan Kim, a kinesiolo-gy sophomore. While digging into Taco Bell, Kim,who is from South Korea, explained that whatmakes American culture so American is thatthere is no single look. It’s the blending of peopleand cultures from all over the world.

Kim’s friend, kinesiology sophomore KensukeOkubo of Japan, touched on the darker side ofAmerican culture. He said that before he trans-ferred from Alabama State University, the whitestudents and black students tended to stay away

from one another on campus and even while eat-ing. “Racism is still common [in the UnitedStates],” Okubo said,

For Maho Uchida, a plant biologist teachingassistant from Japan, Martin Luther King, Jr.,represents American culture. “America still hasracism, but he did a great thing,” she said. King,a Baptist minister, spearheaded many nonviolentcivil rights protests during the 1960s to endracism and segregation in the South.

Uchida was sampling the fare at a MiddleEastern restaurant with ASU students fromChina, Japan and Australia. Lively MiddleEastern music played as the group chattedinside the comfortable restaurant.

Music is one of the bridges that tie culturestogether. Uchida was 13 when she discovered theband Aerosmith. “I saw them three times in con-cert,” she said. “Oh, and Bobby Brown was real-ly famous also … and New Kids on the Block,”she said as she sang part of the chorus of“Hangin’ Tough.”

Other opinions aren’t so popular.“Cathy” Zhi Cai, a plant biology graduate stu-

dent from China, said, “Americans are so con-centrated on [making] money.”

Allison van de Meene agreed. “America isvery focused on capitalism,” said the plant biolo-gy graduate student.

A native of Australia, Van de Meene didn’thave to get used to American culture. Her par-ents had American friends, and she watched asmuch American television as she did British tel-evision. The teen angst of “Pretty in Pink” and JACQUI ALLEN / FOR THE STATE PRESS

ASU student David Filhart chows on an Americanfavorite — hot dogs — during lunch at the LDSInstitute on campus. See CULTURE page 4

PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: AMY YOUNG, LAUREN VASQUEZ, JACQUI ALLEN, SUSAN HALL, JOE RONDONE. GRAPHIC BY BEN HONINGFORD

Devi ls Debate: IMAGE ABROADJust recently, I stumbled across

an article entitled “Global PollShows a Kerry Landslide,” whichDemocrats have been touting eversince it hit the presses. The articledepicts a resounding win by Sen.John Kerry if the presidential elec-tion were held in 30 of the 35 coun-tries surveyed.

Apparently those pollsters havetossed in the towel in the United States, concedingvictory to Kerry after just about everyrespectable polling institute has shown Bush witha small but steady lead in recent weeks, decidingrather to travel to countries in which the leftist,anti-American media has not allowed its audienceto find out who the Democratic senator fromMassachusetts really is. It comes as no surprisethen that the polling company GlobeScanIncorporated released its findings amongst thepeople who support Kerry unequivocally, in thecapital of those that love America most — yesindeed, Paris, France.

Although many issues will influence how theAmerican people decide who to vote for this com-ing November, America’s image abroad is prima-rily influenced by the war being fought by everynation that values freedom and liberty over tyran-nical dictatorship and terror, and how Americaleads that fight for freedom.

As a German American who grew up in a coun-try with a wall that separated those who were freefrom those oppressed by the bonds of commu-nism, I value the democracy we have in theUnited States. I know to value leaders such asHarry Truman and Ronald Reagan, who dedicat-ed their lives to the pursuit of freedom and under-stood that it is in the best interest of every countryto help rebuild nations and promote those demo-cratic principles that allow us to freely elect thosewho lead us.

Truman and Reagan would never have beenelected had it come down to a vote of the world’snations. The Cold War may still be going were ourU.S. elections turned over to a global constituen-cy. Thank God the president of the United Statesis still chosen here at home!

In one of his most recent stances on the ongo-ing war in Iraq (which may not be the most recentdepending on when this column is printed), Kerrysaid he “wouldn’t ever go to war without the con-sulting the United Nations first.” Which countryhas always lead the dissenting nations? That’sright, it’s France. Would you want to surrenderour national security decisions to any other coun-

try, much less France? Having grown up less thanan hour from the French border (almost closeenough to smell them), the answer to that questionmight just come a bit easier to me than it would toan ultra-liberal U.S. senator from Massachusetts.

Vice President Dick Cheney has stated thatwhile there will always be those that are on ourside, (in this case the Coalition of the Willingformed of 30 nations uniting to fight the War onTerror), there also will always be those that aren’t.“It is not our job to appease a few persistent crit-ics,” he said. “President Bush will never seek apermission slip to protect the American people.”

This fact by itself is reason enough for everyAmerican, however apolitical he or she might be,to take a few insignificant moments of their life onNov. 2 and make a difference. America and theworld need Bush’s clarity, conviction and consis-tency in these times of change.

History will prove him to be the great leaderthat he is.

Kevin Riley is President of the United Republicans at ASU and is apolitical science senior. Reach him atmembership@unitedrepublicans.org.

2 THE STATE PRESS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2004 ASU PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

Three years ago our country suf-fered through the worse terroristattack ever. People across the worldexpressed a great deal of sympathy,understanding and cooperation asthey felt for the pain and sorrow weexperienced. On the morning ofSept. 12, a leading French newspa-per printed “Today We Are AllAmericans” on its front page.

Candlelight vigils were held in Iran. Strong wordsof denunciation and condemnation were heardfrom the leaders and citizens of China, Cuba andSyria.

But now, all of these emotions are long gone, andyou can thank the current administration for that.

A March 2004 study conducted by the PewGlobal Attitudes Project found that a year afterthe invasion of Iraq, the image of the UnitedStates has remained negative or worsened in mostof the nations surveyed. In France, the UnitedKingdom and Germany, U.S. favorability levelsplummeted between the summer of 2002 andMarch 2004. The picture is worse in predominant-ly Muslim societies.

Since some voters might express doubts

regarding the benefits of having a good imageabroad, the need to clarify its importance is para-mount. Having a positive public perception is cen-tral to our national security — it’s not merely acosmetic luxury. It minimizes the pool of frustrat-ed masses at the effects of U.S. foreign policiesabroad, whether real or imagined, therefore com-plicating recruitment efforts of terrorist organi-zations. Moreover, maintaining a solid reputationhelps international leaders garner support amongtheir constituents to back U.S. policy and actionsacross the globe. If these leaders lack public sup-port, any level of cooperation with the U.S. mightundermine those other countries’ own nationalsecurity.

The great divide between our image abroadand reality leaves no doubt that the administrationcurrently in charge is to blame. The collapse ofour image overseas is one of the costliest damageswe have incurred in the War on Terror. The unjus-tifiable invasion of Iraq, making unilateral policywhile disregarding the opinions of our allies andsupporting oppressive regimes have done nothingto make America safe and secure. It is time for aleader with a credible image, international appealand substantial experience in the fields of foreignaffairs. We need a president like John F. Kerry.

Unlike Bush, who exemplifies the worst of allnegative stereotypes about Americans, Kerry haswhat it takes to undo all the damage. With 19 yearson the senate foreign relations committee and agolden record in the Vietnam War, he has theskills and the knowledge to improve America’sreputation overseas with our country’s mosttreasured ideals.

Repairing America’s image abroad is no easytask — it will take a long time for it to heal. Storiesfrom ASU students returning back from studyabroad programs testify to the dangerous conse-quences of our policies: a poor and shameful pub-lic image.

If our beloved country stays on the samecourse for four more years, who knows howmuch deeper Bush will dig into our global com-munication crisis. The difference between inter-national public opinion of our national imagebetween the days following Sept. 11 and the daysfollowing the fall of Baghdad should never beunderestimated. For sure, the 2004 elections willdetermine where we go from here.

Yaser Alamoodi is a member of the ASU Young Democrats and apolitical science and religious studies senior. Reach him at

Yaser_alamoodi@hotmail.com.

YASERALAMOODI

◆

KEVIN RILEY

◆

Elections held at home,not abroad U.S.image is casualy of war

How 2 ASUinternational studentsview the United States

BY JENNIFER CUTLER

“You know, I am veryhappy that I am not eligibleto vote yet because I justdon’t know who I wouldchoose,” says Jarred Elias,a communications juniorfrom South Africa.

Elias represents the viewsof many international stu-dents at ASU.

“I would not vote forPresident Bush,” saysKanupriya Vashisht, a masscommunication graduatestudent and native of India.

“I don’t know if I wouldvote for John Kerry eitherbecause he does not seem tobe able to take a stand onvital issues. But Bush, I feel,has isolated America in theworld, and I do not agreewith his assertion that theworld and America aresafer today,” she said.

These opinions indicatehow America’s image in theeyes of the internationalcommunity has changedsince Sept. 11, 2001 and thesubsequent invasions ofAfghanistan and Iraq. As

the presidential electiondraws closer, the opinions ofinternational students likeElias and Vashisht help toshed light on America’s rep-utation overseas.

Polls by the Pew GlobalAttitudes Project show thata growing number of coun-tries think America is over-reacting to terrorism. InApril 2002, 20 percent of theBritish, 30 percent of theFrench and 33 percent ofthe Germans thoughtAmerica was overreacting.Now, those numbers haverisen to 33 percent, 57 per-cent and 49 percent, respec-tively.

Sept. 11Vashisht sits on the couch

in her cozy apartment, whichis decorated with pieces ofIndian art. She explains thesympathy she felt forAmerica after Sept. 11. “I hadnever seen the World TradeCenter, and I had no associa-tions with it, but when Sept.11 happened, I felt anger andgrief.”

In a poll taken by the PewGlobal Attitudes Project inDecember 2001, opinion lead-ers in most regions saidmany or most of the people intheir countries were “sad tosee America suffer.”

Elias says he was not

entirely surprised by theSept. 11 attacks. “I woke upthe morning of Sept. 11,turned on the television andthought it was a movie,” hesays. “But really I expectedsomething like that to hap-pen. Things were too calm.”

Elias traveled to Israel justbefore he came to America in2001. He said security wastight everywhere, unlikeAmerica.

“Even in South Africa,although the security is notas tight as Israel, when yougo into a mall there is aguard,” he said.

AfghanistanVashisht says she under-

stands why the United Statesinvaded Afghanistan afterSept. 11, but she doesn’t agreewith some of America’s for-eign policy. “If it was Indiaand the Taliban had destroyeda symbol of Indian freedom,the war in Afghanistan wouldbe the reaction I would wantto see from my leaders,” shesays. “However, what I don’tunderstand is why theAmerican government sup-ports oppressive regimes,and when they are no longeran asset to them, they wage a

war and destroy an entirecountry.”

Although many countriesshowed an outpouring ofgrief after Sept. 11, politicalscience professor SheldonSimon says that much ofAmerica’s support fromMuslim countries was lostalmost immediately. “InMuslim countries, the factthat the United States invad-ed Afghanistan and over-threw the Taliban, a regimemany of them had con-demned, was still unaccept-able,” Simon says. “The tidehad already turned after theinvasion of Afghanistan andwhen the United States invad-ed Iraq. That was it for manyMuslim countries.”

It’s a viewpoint that muchof the world agrees with,according to a poll releasedby the Pew Global AttitudesProject in March 2004. Abouthalf of the Germans, Turks,French, Russians and Britonssurveyed believe the Iraq Warhurt the war on terrorism.

Elias, however, believes theTaliban should have beentaken out of power after theattack on the USS Cole inOctober 2000. “I am not say-ing that would have stoppedwhat happened on Sept. 11,but I think that was our firstmistake.”

IraqThe widespread support

given to America for the warin Afghanistan did not extendto the invasion of Iraq. Simonsays, “Virtually everywherein the world, public opinion toa greater or lesser extent isanti-American.” He attributesthis to the fact that the Bushadministration did not provean Iraqi connection to Sept.11 or find weapons of massdestruction.

“Therefore, that leaves oneexplanation for the Iraqiintervention — regimechange,” Simon says. “Eventhough everyone agreesSaddam Hussein was a terri-ble leader, the idea thatAmerica can decide who isgoing to rule and who isn’tgoing to rule is a threat, espe-cially for smaller countries.”

Vashisht doesn’t supportthe war in Iraq, which shethinks partly stems fromAmerican paranoia over los-ing power and influence.“Recently, America has helda policy of playing countriesagainst each other for its ownbenefit. It is a bad example toset for other countries.Tomorrow, China can use thesame excuse and intervene in

ASU students: internationally speaking

TONY CARRILLO TONY’S TAKE TONY@FMINUS.NET

MEGAN DOBRANSKY, CATHERINE RYAN/ FOR THE STATE PRESS

Left: Jarred Elias, communications junior, is a native of SouthAfrica. Right: Kanu Vashisht, a mass commmunications graduatestudent, is from India.

See STUDENTS page 4

How America’s image has changed in recent years and what could happen with

the upcoming election

BY SARAH BANNAN ANDELIZABETH FREDERICKS

The Sept. 11, 2001, terror-ist attacks elicited an out-pouring of support fromnations around the world.Since then, however, theconflicts in Afghanistan andIraq, the subsequentexplaining and re-explainingabout the rationale forinvading Iraq and the AbuGhraib prison abuse scandalhave changed the way othercountries see the UnitedStates.

On Nov. 2 the nation willvote to elect the man whowill lead the country for thenext four years. PresidentGeorge W. Bush and Sen.John Kerry hold very differ-ent views of America’s rolein the world.

Voters are torn on theissue. Some believe Kerrywill improve relationshipswith other countries, whileothers believe the world’sopinion shouldn’t affectwhat the United Statesdecides.

Worldwide opinionsPolitical science professor

Sheldon Simon said Kerry

wants to work with othergovernments to spreaddemocracy. Bush, however,“brings it in by putting bootson the ground,” Simon said.

“Many smaller countriesthat rely on the UnitedNations to make their voicesheard were afraid that if theU.S. could ignore the UnitedNations’ opinion so easily,their voices could be over-looked,” Simon said. “Bushis now trying to rekindle therelationship with the UnitedNations because he now rec-ognizes the problems in Iraqwill not be worked out with-out the United Nations’involvement.”

According to Simon,Kerry would mend our rela-tionship with the UnitedNations and rely on it tospread democracy.

To gauge how othernations view the UnitedStates, the Pew ResearchCenter conducts GlobalAttitudes Surveys . A March2003 survey of 16,000 peoplein 20 countries indicated thatthe Iraq War had widenedthe rift between Americansand Western Europeans, fur-ther inflamed the Muslim

world, softened worldwidesupport for the war on ter-rorism and significantlyweakened global public sup-port for the pillars of thepost-World War II era — theUnited Nations and theNorth Atlantic alliance.

Although the Pew surveyindicates a mostly negativeattitude toward the UnitedStates and its policies, thesurvey reveals widespreadsupport for the free marketmodel and democraticideals. Even in Muslimnations, “large majoritiescontinue to believe thatWestern-style democracycan work in their countries.”

In Simon’s opinion, theUnited States was respectedbefore Sept. 11. “The U.S.was the only superpower,but people felt that if therewas going to be just onecountry to be a superpower,the U.S. was the best tohave.”

Simon said that whenPresident Bush ignored theUnited Nations and declared“You’re either with us oragainst us in the fightagainst terror,” it “scaredother countries that the U.S.

was ignoring internationalnorms and the UnitedNations to go where theywanted to go,” Simon said. Italso made other nations feelthat neutrality was not anoption — that they wereeither for us or against us,he said.

Allison van de Meene, apostdoctoral student fromAustralia studying life sci-ences, said she thinks for-eign relations changed dra-matically after Sept. 11. “Itseems like they [the Bushadministration] went intothe Middle East all gung-ho,like a child or adolescent,not thinking before they act,ready to get the first personsuspected rather than spendthe time to think about theconsequences and confirmtheir suspicions.”

In the wake of the UnitedStates’ reaction to terrorism,The Pew Research Centerfound that “majorities inseven of eight Muslim popu-lations surveyed expressworries that the U.S. mightbecome a military threat totheir countries.”

Free tradeTrade has become an

important factor in how theworld perceives the UnitedStates, especially with tighterregulations and heightenedsecurity at the border.

Both Bush and Kerry sup-port fewer restrictions trade,the North American FreeTrade Agreement (NAFTA)and World TradeOrganizations agreements.NAFTA is an agreementamong the United States,Canada and Mexico tostrengthen bonds and coop-eration by standardizing reg-ulations and security.

The two candidates dis-agree on which regulationsshould be implemented.Bush favors trade withoutrequiring specific environ-mental and labor standards.

Kerry said, if elected, hewould order an immediate120-day review of all tradeagreements to ensure thatour trading partners are liv-ing up to their labor and envi-ronmental obligations andthat trade agreements areenforceable and are balancedfor America’s workers.

Kerry was quoted on his

Web site as saying,“I won’tsign any new trade agree-ments unless they containstrong labor and environ-mental standards.”

On Bush’s official Website, the president proposestrade agreements that wouldenable the United States tonegotiate with other coun-tries on specific trade goods.Bush “supports and signed aproclamation granting per-manent normal trading rela-tions status to China.” Kerryalso advocates increasedtrade with China and granti-ng it permanent trade status.

Trade with China has beenturbulent since the forma-tion of the People’s Republicof China in 1949. Eventhough the United States andChina formed a strategic

partnership after the end ofthe Cold War, the relation-ship is still rocky.

Trade relationships arealso strained with countriesthat didn’t support the U.S.invasion of Afghanistan andIraq. Simon said, “The anti-American sentiment beganas anti-Bush but has becomeanti-American as time hasprogressed. Kerry, if elected,has a legacy he can’t ignore.”

With growing internationalconcern about U.S. foreignpolicy, one thing remainsclear: The world will bewatching closely to see whowins on Nov. 2.

Sarah Bannan is a journalism senior.Reach her at sarah3582@yahoo.com.Elizabeth Fredericks is a journalism

senior. Reach her at lizzief43@aol.com.

George W. BushTrade• SupportsNAFTA• Favors liberal-ized trade withoutrequiring specificenvironmentaland labor standards • Signed a proclamation granting per-manent normal trading status withChina• Imposed tariffs on certain steelimports (tariffs were ruled illegal byan international trade court)• Signed a law expanding the TradeAdjustment Assistance program totrain workers dislocated by a shift ofproduction to certain foreign countries

Global Environment• Opposes raising gas mileage stan-dards for passenger vehicles• Rejected the Kyoto Treaty becauseit doesn’t apply to China and otherdeveloping countries• Supports tax incentives to increaseenergy efficiency • Supports oil drilling in the ArticNational Wildlife Refuge

Exporting Jobs Overseas• Making the United States the bestplace to do business will expand thejob base• Thinks a more vibrant small busi-ness sector will keep jobs at home

ASU PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE THE STATE PRESS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2004 3

TWO VOICES, TWO CHOICES: WORLD RELATIONS

John F. KerryTrade• Supports NAFTA• Wants trade agree-ments to includelabor and environ-mental standards• Advocates

increased trade with China and granti-ng permanent trade relations • To minimize terrorist threats, Kerryproposes creating the North AmericanSecurity Perimeter to better coordi-nate U.S. customs, immigration andlaw enforcement• Wants to reduce U.S. dependence onother countries for fuel by conserva-tion and the use of alternative energythrough solar power

Global Environment• Supports raising gas mileage stan-dards for passenger vehicles• Wants to either renegotiate the KyotoTreaty (designed to limit gases thatcause global warming) or propose analternative• Would require tougher standards forcompanies operating on public lands• Opposes oil drilling in the ArticNational Wildlife Refuge

Exporting Jobs Overseas• Proposes incentives to companies tocreate and keep jobs in the UnitedStates • Plans to scour the tax code, which hasgrown from 14 pages to 17,000 pages,to get rid of loopholes for businesses• Would demand accountability fromcorporations when jobs are unjustifi-ably shipped overseas

RICHARD E. JERVIS/CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Soldiers from the Stryker Brigade pat down and try to interrogate suspects on a recent raid near TalAfar, Iraq.

Sources:http://www.azcentral.com/news/elec-tion/, http://www.johnkerry.com andhttp://georgewbush.com/.

Feared?Loved. Hated.

PHOTO BY SUSAN HALL / GRAPHIC BY BEN HONINGFORD

Thailand, or India can dothe same to Pakistan.”

Elias, on the other hand,supports the war in Iraq.“The invasion of Iraq andtaking Saddam Husseinout of power is somethingI agree with, but I don’tknow why we are stillthere,” he says.

“Iraq would not havebeen necessary withoutthe failure of the firstPresident Bush. He negoti-ated and stopped the fight-ing in the Persian GulfWar when he should havegone all the way, especiallysince world public opinionwas on our side at thattime.”

Elias says he would sup-port more invasions if theyled to an end of terrorism.

“I feel we have to dowhat we have to do to pro-tect ourselves,” Elias says.“Other countries will begrateful for our successbecause they won’t beattacked, but they won’tunderstand why Americadid what it did.

“We didn’t understandterrorism until Sept. 11.”

Jennifer Cutler is a journalism senior.Reach her at Cutler218@aol.com.

And we’re nottalking MTV

BY MELISSA NILSSEN

Despite the world’s ever-changing opinion of America,the number of ASU studentschoosing to study abroad con-tinues to increase.

Students say they havereceived mixed reactionswhile in foreign countries, buttheir experiences havechanged their lives.

Danielle Yuhasz, a 22-year-old communications graduate,left for Europe in the summerof 2003 concerned about anicy reception because theUnited States had just invadedIraq.

Instead she received awarm welcome in London,Ireland, Scotland and Rome.

“Most people seemed to likeus and were willing to talk andanswer questions,” Yuhaszsaid.

However, European news-casts caught Yuhasz’s atten-tion. “They are not afraid totell it like it really is or howthey felt about [the war],” shesaid.

“Nothing is sugarcoated onthe news in Europe like it ishere.”

Although Yuhasz experi-enced kindness during herstudy abroad, another studentwitnessed the exact opposite.

Jennifer Melcher, a journal-

ism graduate student, felt thesting of anti-American senti-ments when she was teachingin Bangladesh.

“I was walking home bymyself one day. Two men on amotorbike followed me to mygarage and threatened mewith a sharp object,” she said.

Her roommate scared themen off, and Melcher wasn’tharmed. She later learned theBengali words they spoke toher were, “Get out of here.”

“Many of the people in Asiaare against U.S. foreign poli-cy,” she said. “The generalattitude toward Bush was neg-ative. Other countries sufferfrom terrorism, but they don’tgo out and start a war becauseof it.”

After her run-in with thetwo men, Melcher said sherealized that, as an Americanwoman in a foreign country,she needed to be aware of hersurroundings and not travelalone.

When Jenah Duea, a busi-ness management junior, stud-ied in Paris during the sum-mer of 2002, she asked localstudents about their view ofAmericans. She said theiranswers surprised her.

“Many of them said thatyoung Americans aren’t asfocused on education as theyare, and that we live so fast-paced,” she said. “ They thinkwe goof off a lot and are a littlespoiled.”

Duea said she eventually

came to understand the opin-ions of these French students.

“They focus a lot more ontheir families and in school. Ifeel like I’m a very focusedstudent, but I agree that wetake some of the things wehave for granted, like school,”Duea said.

“One thing that frustratedme is that four out of 10 peo-ple there speak English, butAmericans aren’t really will-ing to learn [another lan-guage],” she said.

Melissa Nilssen is a journalism senior.Reach her at nilley14@comcast.net.

BY ROB ADAMS

Brian Iannello, a businessmanagement junior, says hewouldn’t feel as welcomevisiting overseas localestoday as he did when travel-ing abroad with the U.S.Navy in the mid-1990s.Nassir Ameeri, a pre-busi-ness sophomore, believesthe vast majority of his highschool classmates in theUnited Arab Emirates aren’tas interested in studying inAmerica as they once were.

Both students answered arecent e-mail survey of ASUstudents where 86 percentof the respondents thoughtAmerica’s image as viewedfrom abroad has worsenedsince Operation IraqiFreedom began in March2003.

The poll, conducted by theASU Precision Journalismclass, was e-mailed to a ran-dom sampling of ASU stu-dents Sept. 14-19. The sur-vey drew 157 responses,with a margin of error of 7.8percentage points.

Iannello, visited sevencountries on 14 separateoccasions as an aviationmachinist mate on the USS

Constellation from 1993 to1997.

“I always felt welcomedgoing into those other coun-tries,” Iannello said.

He’s not as positive aboutthat now, given the presentglobal political climate.“Nowadays, if I were askedto go into those countries, ifI was in the Navy, I wouldn’tfeel so secure,” he said. “Notso much for my safety …but as far as being wel-comed.”

Iannello and Ameeri werealso among the 71 percent ofstudents who thought theUnited States should consultwith the United Nationswhen making foreign policydecisions, and the 75 per-cent who believe U.S. lead-ers should give more cre-dence to world opinion.

Ameeri, who has lived inthe United States for twoyears, bases his opinion onfirsthand experience. Hesaid that before the Sept. 11attacks, “Everyone in mygraduating class was sohappy that they wanted togo to the United States tostudy, just to be here to seehow it is … and live here for

a while.”In the months following

Sept. 11, 2001, however,Ameeri noticed his peers’enthusiasm wavering. “Outof a class of 200, I only knowof four people who actuallycame,” he said.

The Iraqi conflict, Ameerisaid, had a further chillingeffect on the resolve ofsome fellow internationalstudents he befriended dur-ing his first year at ASU.

“I do know quite a fewpeople who were here study-ing from abroad that actual-ly left after the war start-ed,” he said. “Some of themgave the reason that they

didn’t feel safe here any-more. Some had their carsbroken into. There weresome not-so-nice thingswritten on their garages anddoors and whatnot justbecause they were againstthe war. Some of them wereagainst the war — totally —and did not want to study ina place that had such disre-gard for the UnitedNations.”

Yet Ameeri is firm in hisresolve to continue exercis-ing the rights of freeexpression available to U.S.citizens and visitors alike,and Iannello said he activelyengages friends, family and

classmates in conversationon the upcoming election.

“If they are unsure aboutwhat to do [about the vote], Ido all that I can to get themoff the fence, help themarrive at an informed deci-sion and be counted assomeone who did step up tomake a difference this timearound,” he said.

Rob Adams is a journalism senior. Reachhim at Robert.J.Adams@asu.edu.

Ralph Nader

John Kerry

George W. Bush

52%

5%

38%

23%

Which major candidate do you think is best for

America’s image abroad?

There is no substantive difference

A majority of the world sees the United States as a postive force

15%

48%

Which of these choices best describes the image of the

United States abroad?

36%

A majority of the world sees the United States as a negative force

World opinion of the United States is about evenly mixed.

To see all the poll results, visitthe Web Devil at

www.asuwebdevil.com.

4 THE STATE PRESS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2004 ASU PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

HEATHER MELVOIN/ FOR THE STATE PRESS

Journalism graduate student Jennifer Melcher looks at photos fromher visits to Asia. The shoes in the foreground are from Korea.

Life in the real world

The U.N. should be the final authority on all issues

20%

71%

How important should United Nations approval be to foreign policy decisions of U.S. leaders?

10%

The United States should decide its own foreign policy without seeking U.N. approval

The United States should consult with the U.N. on foreign policy

Student Poll:U.S.imageflounders

Molly Ringwald moviesmade an impression on her.

For Yi Fei Wu, 32, the movie“Spider-man” and actor VinDiesel stand out as American.The plant biology teachingassistant said it seems as ifmost American movies com-bine heroics with a foreign

character in distress, and it isup to the strong Americans toride in and save the day.

Victoria Thompson, an asso-ciate professor of history, said,“I think the perception thatglobalization means Americandomination is common inmany other countries as wellas in the U.S.”

However, Thompson said,most studies of how Americanproducts have been received

in other countries show that inorder to succeed, Americancompanies need to adapt tolocal customs. For example,McDonald’s restaurants inFrance have wine on theirmenus since the French typi-cally drink wine with meals.Euro Disney, or DisneylandResort Paris, as it is nowcalled, was a dismal failure atfirst because the DisneyCompany did not change any-

thing culturally for adaptation,and Europeans didn’t like it.

Thompson added, “I thinkthe ideal is that globalizationwould create a mixing of cul-tures that would allow peopleto understand each other bet-ter without completelydestroying local traditionsand cultures.”

Besides music, movies andtelevision, what else could beconsidered typically

American? Hello Kitty, for example?

No, the white cartoon kittenwith the red bow in her hairfound on lunchboxes andbackpacks nation-wide isactually a Japanese creation.

Pokémon? No, the littleround animal with a lighting-rod tail is also Japanese.

Think the man behindAustin Powers is American?The English-based character

is played by Canadian MikeMyers. Pamela Anderson andJim Carrey are alsoCanadian.

While America has beenbusy spreading itself world-wide, a few ideas have madea place for themselves inAmerican culture.

Evonne S. Avalos is a history andjournalism senior. Reach her at

Evonne.Avalos@asu.edu.

CULTURECONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

KEN GEIGER/DALLAS MORNING NEWS

The Beijing McDonald’s is said to be the busiest in the world.Chinese from all economic levels visit this McDonald’s, often stop-ping to have their photo taken with the life-size plastic RonaldMcDonald.

STUDENTSCONTINUED FROM PAGE 2