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US image around world worsens
23/01/2007 10:55 - (SA)
London - 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% from 36%, the results from 18
countries that were also polled the previous year showed.
Fifty-two percent thought US influence was mainly
negative, up from 47% 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 US policy on Iraq which is ravaged by
violence nearly four years after the US-led invasion.
Iraq, terrorism, global warming
In all, 26 381 people were questioned in 25 countries.
Almost three in four people disapproved of US policy on Iraq,
while two-thirds disapproved of US handling of terrorism
suspects held at the Guantanamo Bay camp in Cuba.
"The US 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 US policy on last year's
war between Israel and Hezbollah fighters, 60% of its
handling of Iran's nuclear programme, 56% of its stance
on global warming and 54% of its policy on North Korea's
nuclear programme.
More than two-thirds believed the US military presence in
the Middle East provoked more conflict than it prevented and
only 17% thought US troops there were a stabilising
force.
Americans doubt US foreign policy
The poll found that the American public also seemed to have
serious doubts about US foreign policy. Majorities of
Americans polled disapproved of how the United States was
handling the war in Iraq (57%) and global warming (54%) while half disapproved of US policy on Guantanamo and Iran.
Fifty-three percent of Americans said the US military
presence in the Middle East "provokes more conflict than it
prevents", the survey said.
The poll found US policy was regarded poorly in Britain,
Bush's closest ally in Iraq. A majority (57%) of the
British public saw US influence in the world as mainly
negative and 81% disapproved of US 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.
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