Keep Pretending You're Canadian

By Steve Hynd

Keep pretending you are Canadian when you go abroad, folks - because Obama's own popularity overseas isn't translating into popularity for America and Americans overall.

According to a new poll, while Obama is viewed positively in most of the world, global attitudes toward America have barely improved at all.

Asked whether they have confidence in Barack Obama to "do the right thing regarding world affairs," for all nations (excluding the US) an average of 61 percent say they have some or a lot of confidence.

But asked how the US treats their government, few--on average just one in four--say it "treats us fairly," while two-thirds say that it "abuses its greater power to make us do what the US wants."

Overall, these views are no better than they were in 2008. Only three countries diverged from this view (Kenya, Nigeria, and Germany).

The poll, by WorldPublicOpinion.Org, found that most folk, even most Americans, thinks the U.S. is still a warmongering bully:

The US is criticized for coercing other nations with its superior power (15 of 19 nations), failing to abide by international law (17 of 19 nations), and for how it is dealing with climate change (11 of 18 nations).

...In all nations polled, majorities say that the US "use(s) the threat of military force to gain advantages." Majorities range from 61 percent in India and Poland to 92 percent in South Korea and include America's close ally Great Britain (83%). On average, across all nations polled, 77 percent perceive the US as threatening. Even 71 percent of Americans agree.

...only one in four agrees that the US is "an important leader in promoting international laws and sets a good example by following them," while two-thirds say "the US tries to promote international laws for other countries, but is hypocritical because it does not follow these rules itself."

And the bad news for Obama himself is that, although Europeans trust him by wide margins, Muslim nations don't.

Views of Obama are especially positive among Europeans including 92 percent of the British, 89 percent of the Germans, and 88 percent of the French. Even a majority of the Chinese concur (55%). The exceptions are majority-Muslim nations and Russia. Those saying they have not too much confidence or no confidence at all include majorities in the Palestinian territories (67%), Pakistan (62%), Egypt (60%), and Iraq (57%) as well as Russia (55%).

Invading Muslim nations, saber-rattling at others and cozying up to Israel's foreign policy vision at an institutional level isn't going to be undone by just one speech. Who'dathunkit.

Comments

[upyernoz]

i've always found that even if people don't like the u.s., they tend to be very friendly towards americans, often going out of their way to prove that they have nothing against individual americans. at least that was my experience in egypt and the west bank, two places included in the survey that i have been in the past few years.

it actually seems to be better in countries with more oppressive governments than democratic ones. i think when people live under an oppressive regime, they don't want to be responsible for the crummy decisions of their own leaders. so they have no problem believing that i have nothing to do with whoever is in charge of the u.s. the less they understand about american democracy the better.