“We used to be a country that others wanted to emulate. That narrative no longer exists,” said Juliette Kayyem, faculty chair of the Homeland Security Project at the Harvard Kennedy School….
Kayyem explained that #SoftPower …is weakening with a filtered story being told to those outside the country: “If you’re a foreigner now, what you’re absorbing about the United States is a #dysfunctional government, #ICE raids, Americans being killed, crime everywhere.”
That’s not just bad for those working in the service & #tourism industries. The impact of a #SelfInflicted decrease in international visitors of this magnitude has implications on the #US’ world standing, its #SoftPower #diplomacy & the #economy as a whole.
CNN first reported worrying trends last August that have manifested in a 5.5% drop in international tourism in 2025. It’s the worst single-year decline in 2 decades, with the exception of the 2020 pandemic.
