Destination US: Only visa power

You guessed it. The next day every other student who showed up at the embassy said he or she wanted to go to America to learn how to build ‘‘a better artificial limb for my mother’’.

Hearing stories like this, you have to wonder: Are Bush officials right when they dismiss all of this talk that President Bush has made America more unpopular in the world now than at any other time in post-war history? Do people really hate us? Don’t those visa lines say otherwise?

To begin with, there are a few ‘‘technical’’ reasons why anti-Americanism generally does not have the same edge in Asia as in Europe and the Middle East. Asia’s leaders have much more legitimacy than leaders in the Arab world, either because they have come to power through free elections or because they have delivered on their promise of economic growth. Because of that, they don’t need to demonise America to deflect their people’s anger from them. Also, Asia generally is focused like a laser on economic development — and countries like China see investment and technology transfer from America as critical to their growth.

‘‘People in Asia do not hate the US,’’ Singapore’s elder statesman, Lee Kuan Yew, said. ‘‘Countries like China and India are focused on their economic development, they see in America an enormous well to draw technology and economic growth from.’’

But here’s the problem: Young people want American education and technology more than ever, but fewer want to wear our T-shirts — want to be identified as ‘‘pro-American’’. As one former US diplomat in Beijing put it: ‘‘They want to cherry-pick us, not line up with us. We’ve lost prestige.’’

The idea of America as the embodiment of the promise of freedom and democracy — not just of technology and high living standards — is integral to how we think of ourselves, but it is no longer how a lot of others think of us. They are now compartmentalising. The unilateral war in Iraq, the post-war mess there, the walk-away from Kyoto and other treaties, the Abu Ghraib scandal have taken a toll. The idea of US as embodying the charisma of democracy has been damaged. As political theorist Yaron Ezrahi put it, ‘‘America as the do-gooder has been hurt, but America as the goods-doer is still there.’’

Fortunately, this situation is not irreparable. The longing for an America that exports hope, not fear, and that is an example of the best global practices and values, runs really deep in the world. In fact, it is one reason that some people abroad are so angry with President Bush — because they blame him for taking that America away from them. I’m convinced a different approach or different administration would elicit a big response from the world. But for now, we will pay a price, because when people want to line up for our visas but not for our policies, it means Americans alone will have to bear the burden and the price of those policies. That is not good for us. When you lose your status as a power with values, you weaken your ability to fight those powers without values.

— New York Times