Has the American Image abroad changed during the last Decade? Examining the Changes in the Egyptian Public Attitudes about the U.S.A. (1999-2008).

This study aims at examining the differences of the Egyptians attitudes about the U.S.A during the last decade. It analyzes data of five surveys (polls) conducted in Egypt from 1999-2008 that contained a measure of the attitudes about America and Americans. These polls have been carried out in years that had significant impacts on the foreign policies of both the U.S. and Egypt. Findings of this study indicate the importance of differentiating between the attitudes towards the U.S. as a country and the attitudes towards American citizens. the Egyptians attitudes about the U.S. are extremely negative while their attitudes about Americans are relatively positive. September 11th attacks and the American foreign policies toward Arab and Islamic countries have influenced the attitudes towards the U.S., but did not have any impact on the attitudes towards the Americans. The study also indicates that the image of the United States and the Americans has improved markedly after Barak Obama had been elected as a president for the U.S.. The gap between Egyptian attitudes about the U.S. and their attitudes about the Americans has decreased significantly after the last presidential election. This paper begins with a historical overview of the developments of the American Image in Egypt since its early beginning in the eighteen century till now. It then reviews findings of some of the studies about the image of America in Egypt. Finally it presents the results of this study and its possible explanations. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]