Remember, it is always gloomiest just before the light goes out completely.---
It found that during 2007, the US suffered a loss of international authority as a result of the failure to impose order in Iraq. Leaders and groups around the world sought to take advantage or to protect themselves from the consequences of this loss of prestige.
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However, restoring US credibility will not be easy. The report found that "the damage to American standing and credibility
likely to take years to repair - especially as problems such as Iraq's persistent violence and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp just be wished away".
For those old enough to remember, the report echoes the condition of the United States during the Vietnam War, when president Richard Nixon warned of the US becoming a "pitiful, helpless giant".
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In light of the recent congressional testimony by the US military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker on how the "troop surge" is working, the survey made the point that much of the presumed success was due to circumstances that the US had nothing to do with.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/II25Ak01.html