From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

America's changing image in the Middle East.

Hello again, I'm on an al-me, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

Polls show that vast numbers of Middle Easterners believe the U.S. wants to divide their region,

take over their oil, and replace Islam with Christianity.

Al Jazeera TV, newspapers, and magazines, promote the idea of a grand conspiracy by an invincible superpower.

But the chaos of the Iraq occupation has raised

some important questions. Is America incompetent after all? Can it be defeated? On to the point,

with public opinion changing, where does that leave the government supported by the United States?

What will it mean for America's interests in a volatile region? First, here's

the news. Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John D. and

Catherine T. MacArthur

Foundation. Hello again. Warren, only, back with To the Point. Middle Easterners are used to seeing

the U.S. as the invincible superpower, but events in Iraq are changing America's image.

On To the Point is the Great Satan incompetent after all. What does that mean for governments that

depend on U.S. support and for America's own objectives?

First, this news update, stock prices dropped again on Wall Street today.

They were following markets in Europe and Asia, which in turn were responding to America's subprime lending problems.

It's the dark side of what has been a stabilizing factor.

That's according to Daniel Gross, who writes the contrary indicator column for Newsweek

...