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Opening Statement of Chairman Bill Delahunt
Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight Committee on Foreign Affairs
At a Hearing On
"Global Polling Data on Opinion of American Policies, Values and People"

It was just about two years ago that the Government Accountability Office noted that "anti-Americanism is spreading and deepening around the world." What was particularly disturbing was the GAO's conclusion that "such anti-American sentiments can increase foreign public support for terrorism directed at Americans, impact the cost and effectiveness of military operations, weaken the United States' ability to align with other nations in pursuit of common policy objectives, and dampen foreign publics' enthusiasm for U.S. business services and products."

There have been multiple polls taken that seem to confirm that America's image is suffering and that this decline has the potential to harm our national interests. These surveys have been conducted in different countries -- in different regions of the world, and at different times. Has there been an improvement since this GAO report was released in April 2005? Or, as a recent headline suggested, has America's image gone "from bad to worse"?

Today we are beginning a series of hearings to review the work product of highly regarded professional pollsters and organizations who were responsible for gathering this data. I would note that several of these researchers have worked for executive branch departments, or consult with them on a regular basis.

Some of the questions we'll address include:

What can these polls teach us? Are there lessons that can be learned from this data? Can we determine the causes of this anti-Americanism that is so dangerous to our national interest? Do the factors provoking a negative image of the United States vary from region to region? Is this negative image because of what we are -- our values, if you will -- or is it because of what we do -- our policies, if you will? Is anti-Americanism a single unitary phenomenon, or are there nuances and varieties that we should be aware of?

How can we improve America's image? Is it through public diplomacy? As Richard Holbrooke said last week, "The Administration does not appear to have a public diplomacy plan, in hand, that works." Because if that's the case, how can we address these concerns? Does it require a reenergized public diplomacy initiative? Or, if it is clearly demonstrable that it is in our national interest to do so, are substantive policy changes required? Do we need to amend existing policies, or recommend new strategies to advance our national interest and improve America's image?

These are not rhetorical questions. I am actually asking them in the hope that we can get some answers.

Our purpose is to establish an empirical record to stimulate debate, to idenfity problems, analyze causes, and craft solutions. The consequences in this area can be so profound that it is important to begin with a baseline of how our policies are working in terms of global perception -- a reality check, if you will -- predicated on the facts, not on opinions or anecdotal accounts.