Is Brand America in Trouble?

While US brands like Marlboro and Disney remain popular all over the world, the popularity of America itself is diminishing, stoked by grievances that far surpass the war in Iraq. Echoing pop star Bono's impression of "a brick through the storefront of Brand America," reporter Paul Maidment argues that there is a new, more active tone of counter-Americanism, and that it is "not just the French who try to circumvent the US's advancement of its interests." In this increasingly hostile atmosphere, President Bush has appointed Karen Hughes the undersecretary for public diplomacy, a position that Maidment terms, "America's brand manager." But can improved advertising solve the US image problem, or are there deeper policy issues at the heart of grievances? – YaleGlobal