[Peace-discuss] U.S. image at all time low: Poll

[Morton K. Brussel]

U.S. image around world sharply worsens: BBC poll
Mon Jan 22, 7:04 PM ET

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.
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