In May 2002 President Bush signed a bill called Enhanced Border Security and Reform Act which targets travelers born in seven countries (Libya, Iraq, Sudan, Cuba and North Korea, Iran and Syria) that sponsor terrorism, even if the travelers are not even citizens of those seven countries. Bush has also created another list of suspect countries including Pakistan Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Morocco. These countries are typically Muslim, making a statement that anyone of Muslim decent should be suspect of terrorism. Any person from or having relations with these countries have been facing extremely unpleasant experiences when trying to enter the US. These strict restrictions have proved to limit the amount of foreign artists, performers, musicians, etc. by 13%, creating a limit to cultural diversity when it is needed most. I think that it is a shame that foreign artists are being discouraged from coming to the United States simply because of their background. By not allowing people from other cultures to come into the US it is much harder to help people understand that there are people from Muslim decent who are not threats and wish to speak out about their opposition. I think that people in the US have a general negative feeling about people from anywhere the Middle East and that limiting the kinds of people who are allowed entry to the US will just perpetuate these feelings established by the Bush administration.
While researching the issues of immigration, deportation and visa restrictions, the most common opinion I found was that President Bush is not liked, in fact very much disliked, and is not respected at all by citizens of other countries.
When he to visited Northern Ireland in 2003, there was a huge amount of objection by the people of Northern Ireland. In Derry, a crowd of 150 protesters had to be removed from the streets to allow traffic to enter the city center. There have been protests opposing the war in Iraq throughout Europe. An anti-war protest in Rome in 2003 has been added to the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest protest in history, with 3 million participants. This huge amount of anti-war support shows the general strong feelings of discontent with American political policies in the past eight years. 
Specifically in Norther Ireland, the Nationalists have brought American politics, as well as other foreign problems, into their murals. On a tour of the Falls Road, a very Nationalist community in Belfast, we walked by a long wall dedicated only to international and foreign problems. On this wall, there are
The second week of our trip is almost over. Can you believe it?two murals which specifically criticize President Bush. My personal favorite is the one which depicts Bush sucking oil from Iraq through a straw and placing bills of money into his pocket, underlined with the statement “America’s Greatest Failure.” The American flag remains on the rubble that represents Iraq with a line from the Star Spangled Banner “And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there.” I don’t know of a more literal way to present the idea of Bush’s economic interest in the War in Iraq than this mural shows.
After talking to people here in Northern Ireland, I have found that everyone understands that Bush’s politics and beliefs do not represent the majority of Americans beliefs now. I have met a lot of people since I have been here, and quite often the conversation often turns to politics. The general consensus is that most people like American people, but strongly disapprove of Bush’s decisions. Also, I hate to admit, but most people here know much more about American politics that I do and have developed their own opinions about the upcoming election and politics in general. This just shows how affected everyone is by American politics and that there is such a large number of people who oppose the current administration.
After seeing how much people in Northern Ireland, as well as in most other European countries, know about foreign issues, I am a wee bit embarrassed about my limited knowledge of politics and issues in other countries. These people know so much about my culture and politics, yet I did not even know about the problems in Northern Ireland until I signed up for the Bucknell in Northern Ireland program. I believe that this is a common occurrence among Americans and I think that it is very important to make an effort to stay up to date with the international happenings. I will try to make a personal effort to keep up with foreign affairs upon returning to the United States and I hope that you do to!
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