Big paper, well worth reviewing in detail. Essentially the US can best avoid the harshest views by refraining rather than participating in affairs in the middle east. But I must ask is that even possible? The timing of this just days into our two front war on ISIS is just terribly ironic. Perhaps this shows the profound wisdom is working with Arab allies, as GHWB did in heralded liberation of Kuwait and the resent attacks on ISIS.

“It’s not true that these people just hate the United States,” Keohane said. “But there’s a very deep dislike of American intervention and an unwillingness to give the U.S. credit even when it is on their side. I think it’s going to be a very long road for the U.S., and the U.S. shouldn’t expect to get a huge amount of public support from the Arab world.”

To further test their ideas that perceptions of the U.S. impinging on Middle Eastern nations influenced sentiment more than perceptions of U.S. society, the researchers also examined tweets commenting on Iran’s involvement in the Middle East. Arabic tweeters were even more negative about Iran than the United States.

“Iranian society and U.S. society are very different,” Keohane said. “If the fundamental reactions were to the type of society, they might hate the U.S. and like Iran. But what the U.S. and Iran have in common is that they are powerful non-Arab countries that intervene in the Middle East.”

Henry Farrell, an associate professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, said the research “represents a very important advance in showing how online media analysis can capture important — and large-scale — debate.”

More: Princeton University - Arabic Tweets Point to U.S. Influence as Fuel for Anti-Americanism