International Cognitive Dissonance

From Nicholas Kristof's column in the NYT this morning:

Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes, which conducted the BBC poll, said that at a recent international conference he attended in Malaysia, many Muslims voiced astonishment at Mr. Obama’s rise because it was so much at odds with their assumptions about the United States. Remember that the one thing countless millions of people around the world “know” about the United States is that it is controlled by a cabal of white bankers and Jews who use police with fire hoses to repress blacks. To them, Mr. Obama’s rise triggers severe cognitive dissonance.

“It’s an anomaly, so contrary to their expectation that it makes them receptive to a new paradigm for the U.S.,” Mr. Kull said.

Again, as someone who sells American products abroad for a living, I cannot stress enough how important it is to achieve a paradigm shift in international perceptions of the US.  With the US$ on the rise, our exports are going to suffer.  We need to counter that by increasing demand overseas for our crap.