PORTLAND (AP) – Negative opinions and misinformation about America are rampant throughout the Muslim world, creating a crisis in the nation’s foreign relations, says a Portland lawyer closely involved in the issue.

Harold Pachios is a member and former chairman of the Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim World, which issued its report, “Changing Minds Winning Peace,” to the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee this month.

“There is enormous anger against the United States,” Pachios said. “They like our free society, our diversity and the fact that we are a meritocracy, but there is a disconnect when it comes to our policy.”

Due to what’s seen as a bias toward Israel in its conflict with Palestinians, and the nearly unilateral invasion of Iraq, America is seen as a threat in many parts of the world, Pachios said. To reformers, he says, the United States is viewed as hypocritical when it professes democratic values while aligning itself with undemocratic governments.

While some Americans may say they don’t care what people in other countries think, Pachios says that this country fails to protect its image at its own peril.

“The U.S. cannot go it alone, or the world will become a very dangerous place for Americans,” Pachios said. “We need allies in the war on terrorism, and we can’t achieve our foreign policy goals without friends.”

A cause of the problem, Pachios says, is an information explosion, in which independent news services, such as Al-Jazeera, spread misinformation about America and its goals.

In the past, Pachios says, the United States could conduct diplomacy by bargaining with a handful of national leaders. Today, public opinion plays a role in even the countries with repressive governments.

To repair its image, Pachios believes this country should invest in its own Arabic language news and entertainment service and develop a reputation of providing credible news, not propaganda.

AP-ES-10-20-03 0216EDT