U.S. image around world sharply worsens: BBC poll

[8236]

U.S. image around world sharply worsens:

LONDON (Reuters) - The image of the United States has deteriorated around the world in the past year because of issues such as Iraq and prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, according to a poll by the BBC World Service released on Tuesday.

The proportion of people believing the United States has a mainly positive influence in world affairs dropped seven points from a year ago -- to 29 percent from 36, the results from 18 countries that were also polled the previous year showed.

Fifty-two percent thought U.S. influence was mainly negative, up from 47 percent a year ago, the poll found.

The survey, released on the day President George W. Bush gives his State of the Union speech to Congress, found sharp disagreement with U.S. policy on Iraq which is ravaged by violence nearly four years after the U.S.-led invasion.

In all, 26,381 people were questioned in 25 countries. Almost three in four people disapproved of U.S. policy on Iraq, while two-thirds disapproved of U.S. handling of terrorism suspects held at the Guantanamo Bay camp in Cuba.

"The U.S. administration's recent decision to send more troops to Iraq is at odds with global public opinion ... This policy is likely to further hurt America's image," Doug Miller, president of pollsters GlobeScan, said.

Sixty-five percent disapproved of U.S. policy on last year's war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas, 60 percent of its handling of Iran's nuclear program, 56 percent of its stance on global warming and 54 percent of its policy on North Korea's nuclear program.

More than two-thirds believed the U.S. military presence in the Middle East provoked more conflict than it prevented and only 17 percent thought U.S. troops there were a stabilizing force.

The poll found that the American public also seemed to have serious doubts about U.S. foreign policy. Majorities of Americans polled disapproved of how the United States was handling the war in Iraq (57 percent) and global warming (54 percent) while half disapproved of U.S. policy on Guantanamo and Iran.

Fifty-three percent of Americans said the U.S. military presence in the Middle East "provokes more conflict than it prevents," the survey said.

The poll found U.S. policy was regarded poorly in Britain, Bush's closest ally in Iraq. A majority (57 percent) of the British public saw U.S. influence in the world as mainly negative and 81 percent disapproved of U.S. actions in the war in Iraq, the BBC World Service said.

The poll, carried out between November 3 and January 9, covered Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Britain, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United States.

From
today.reuters.co.uk

 

[manu1959]

so are you happy about this or sad......

 

[8236]

so are you happy about this or sad......

Oh yeah, forgot to express an opinion.

Although at the height of the misguided Iraq war fever that swept the US in 2003/4 I would have taken heart and been happy, now I'm sad about it as I feel (believe it or not) that the US is no longer deserving of these kind of views. Unfortunately, it's global dominance tends to make people forget that there are other nations out there that conduct themselves far more dishonorably and with way more hypocrisy than the US does.

 

[manu1959]

Oh yeah, forgot to express an opinion.

Although at the height of the misguided Iraq war fever that swept the US in 2003/4 I would have taken heart and been happy, now I'm sad about it as I feel (believe it or not) that the US is no longer deserving of these kind of views. Unfortunately, it's global dominance tends to make people forget that there are other nations out there that conduct themselves far more dishonorably and with way more hypocrisy than the US does.

so you were happy before you were sad? or is it sad before you were happy....

 

[8236]

Yes, ever so sad. I'm crying myself to sleep right now.....

 

[Annie]

so are you happy about this or sad......

Well all I can say is we don't do polls on the popularity of other Western nations, we leave that to them.

 

[Adam's Apple]

U.S. image around world sharply worsens: BBC poll

Since the U.S. is thought of as the world's only remaining super power, wouldn't you expect that to be the case--seriously?

I think that green-eyed monster stirs up far more emotions in others than the good that the U.S. does in the world. For example, the money that flowed into Indonesia following the tsumani from Americans, or the help that America gave China and Iran following disasterous earthquakes. I guess we are really bad, nefarious people for doing those kinds of things???