Our blogs about
America's Wars
War on Iraq
War on Drugs
War on Afghanistan
War on Columbia
War on Philippines
War on Venezuela

MORE
Matrix Masters
Blogs
World Events
Katrina's Aftermath
US News
Bush Crime Family News
Science & Health
Earth News
Free Speech
News from Africa
News from Palestine
Bill of Rights Under Attack

Support Bloggers' Rights!

Lorenzo's
Random Musings
. . . about Chaos,
Reason, and Hope

 

World Survey Says Negative Views of U.S. Are Rising
By ADAM CLYMER - The New York Times
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 � While people in most non-Muslim countries continue to view the United States favorably, negative opinions have increased in most nations over the past two years, according to public opinion surveys in 44 countries. The surveys of 38,000 people conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press indicated that, although there is widespread support for the United States-led campaign against terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks, it was tempered by large minorities or even majorities in many countries who say the Bush administration is ignoring their nations' interests. Moreover, followup polls last month in four countries � Britain, France, Germany and Russia � found substantial percentages of people saying they thought that the main reason the United States would go to war with Iraq would be "because the U.S. wants to control Iraqi oil." That view was held by 44 percent in Britain, 54 percent in Germany, 75 percent in France and 76 percent in Russia. A parallel survey in the United States found 22 percent agreeing with the war-for-oil theory. While polling could not be conducted in some important countries, like Saudi Arabia, and sensitive questions could not be asked in others, like China, the combined surveys appeared to be the largest simultaneous effort to gauge world opinion ever conducted, said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Center. "The main lesson," Mr. Kohut said, "is that while there is a reserve of good will toward the United States, the most powerful country in the world has an increasing number of detractors." He said the post-cold-war reality was "how old friends who need us less, like us less," especially in Europe, while "the Russians have a better opinion of us."

posted by A Curmudgeon 9:15 AM