Diplomat in Chief? Assessing the Influence of Presidential Evaluations on Public Diplomacy Outcomes Among Foreign Publics

Abstract

The current study builds on previous knowledge of international public opinion by examining the role that the evaluation of a nation’s leader may have on evaluations of the nation by a foreign public. More specifically, the study examines the impact of the so-called Obama effect on attitudes toward the United States in the nation of Pakistan. The study analyzed a large subset of data ( N = 1,254) from the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project. The results of the analysis point to significant relationships among confidence in Obama’s leadership, approval of Obama’s foreign policies, U.S.–Pakistan relations, and favorability toward the United States. The study discusses the theoretical implications of the findings along with the contextual implications on U.S. public diplomacy.