International standing
All 16 modern US presidents ranked by their net score on this single sub-criterion. Good and harm are scored 0–10 independently; net is good minus harm. Click a name for the full scorecard.
Cold War end + Gulf War coalition produced highest US international standing of postwar era. 'Unipolar moment' began.
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- good·Tier 1·Academic·Unverified
Bush 41 era produced US international standing peak; Cold War victory + Gulf War coalition + German reunification managed flawlessly contributed.
Charles Krauthammer 'The Unipolar Moment' (Foreign Affairs 1990/91); international polling 1989-1993
Established US as leader of liberal-democratic anti-fascist coalition; positioned US as architect of postwar order. International standing peaked at FDR's death.
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
By 1945, US international standing was at its zenith as both military victor and architect of the new multilateral order — both attributable substantially to FDR's wartime leadership.
Contemporary international press coverage; UN Charter signed June 1945 with US as host
Cuban Missile Crisis resolution boosted standing dramatically. Berlin commitment. Peace Corps soft power.
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
Kennedy's international standing peaked after Cuban Missile Crisis resolution; remained high through assassination.
USIA international polling 1961-1963
Restored after GW Bush lows. Pew Global Attitudes showed substantial favorability gains. Nobel Peace Prize (2009). Strong soft power era.
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- good·Tier 1·Statistic·Unverified
US favorability ratings recovered substantially under Obama per Pew Global Attitudes; major-allied-country favorability rose 20-30 percentage points from GW Bush-era lows.
pewresearch.org ↗
Restored after Carter-era perceptions of weakness. Allies confident in US leadership. Cold War endgame raised standing dramatically. Some standing damage in Latin America from interventions.
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
Reagan restored US international standing among Western allies; standing damaged in Latin American countries with US intervention but improved among NATO allies.
Pew Global Attitudes (USIA predecessor); contemporary European press
US as undisputed Western leader; Marshall Plan and NATO produced enormous European goodwill. Atomic monopoly ended (1949) reducing primacy. Korea reduced standing in some quarters.
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
European public opinion polled by USIS in 1949-1952 showed strong favorability toward US in Marshall Plan recipient countries; sharp drop in Soviet bloc.
Marshall Plan recipient nations' contemporary reception; 1948-1952 polling in Europe
Strong global standing despite Lewinsky scandal. Unipolar moment continued. Kosovo war damaged some standing. Booming economy attracted global respect.
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- good·Tier 2·Historical record·Unverified
US international standing remained strong globally during Clinton term; unipolar-moment foreign-policy projection continued.
pewresearch.org ↗
Strong allied relations. Sputnik (1957) reduced perceived US technological primacy. Coups in Iran/Guatemala damaged standing in developing world. U-2 incident damaged Soviet relations.
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- good·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
US international standing strong in Western Europe throughout Eisenhower years; Sputnik (October 1957) raised perceptions of Soviet technological capability; coups damaged standing in target regions.
USIA public opinion surveys 1953-1961; Sputnik impact on international perception
China opening boosted standing in some quarters. SALT I and detente reduced perception of US as warmonger. BUT: Cambodia bombing, Vietnam continuation, Allende coup (1973) damaged standing in developing world.
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- good·Tier 2·Historical record·Unverified
US international standing mixed under Nixon: improved via China/USSR diplomacy, damaged via continued Vietnam involvement and US support for Chilean coup against Allende.
Pew Global Attitudes (earlier USIA equivalents); Allende overthrow (September 11, 1973)
Restored after Trump T1 lows. Ukraine coalition leadership boosted standing. Afghanistan withdrawal damaged. Israel-Hamas damaged in Global South.
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- good·Tier 1·Statistic·Unverified
US favorability rebounded substantially under Biden per Pew Global Attitudes; Afghanistan withdrawal and Israel-Hamas war complicated international-standing trajectory.
pewresearch.org ↗
Vietnam withdrawal completion damaged short-term standing. Helsinki Accords improved. Stagflation reduced economic credibility.
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- harm·Tier 2·Historical record·Unverified
Ford-era US international standing was mixed: restored post-Watergate trust slightly, Vietnam-era damage continued.
International press coverage 1974-1977
Camp David boosted standing dramatically. Iran Hostage Crisis devastated. Mixed.
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- good·Tier 2·Historical record·Unverified
Carter's international standing was bimodal: peak after Camp David (1978), trough during Iran Hostage Crisis (1979-1981).
International standing 1977-1981 (Pew Research predecessors)
Post-9/11 solidarity quickly dissipated. Iraq War devastated US international standing. Pew Global Attitudes documented historic lows. End of unipolar moment.
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- harm·Tier 1·Statistic·Unverified
US favorability rating in major allies (Germany, France, UK) fell from 60-78% in 2000 to 30-40% by 2007 per Pew; defining decline in US international standing.
pewresearch.org ↗
Pew Global Attitudes documented historic decline in US favorability under Trump. Major allies (Germany, France, UK) dropped substantially. Authoritarian leaders gained relative standing.
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- harm·Tier 1·Statistic·Unverified
US international favorability rating in 13 surveyed countries fell from 64% median (Obama-era) to 31% by 2020 per Pew Global Attitudes — historic decline.
pewresearch.org ↗
Vietnam War collapsed US international standing. Allied opposition increased. Soviet/PRC propaganda gains.
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- harm·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
US international standing fell substantially during LBJ term as Vietnam War prosecution alienated allies and provided propaganda material for adversaries.
Contemporary international press coverage of Vietnam; UN debates
International standing damaged severely. Allied trust collapsed. Pew Global Attitudes substantial declines.
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- harm·Tier 1·Statistic·Unverified
US favorability ratings in allied countries (Germany, France, UK, Canada, Japan) fell to historic lows under Trump T2; Canada in particular saw extraordinary anti-US sentiment surge.
pewresearch.org ↗