Doing the right thing, after we exhaust the alternatives
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January 24, 2007
Mickey could do better
Does the world share America's pessimism about the Bush administration? Let's check the BBC's survey of 26,381 people in 25 countries.
The positive influence of the US as a world power declined from 40% in 2004 to 29% today. Half of the respondents say the US plays mainly a negative role in world affairs. Some of the sharpest drops in positive ratings come from countries who tend to favor the US.
Only three countries tend to agree with US foreign policy: Kenya, Nigeria and the Philippines.
Almost 75% disapprove of the way we handled Iraq. Most of the respondents say the US tends to "provoke more conflict than it prevents" in the Middle East.
Most also say they do not like the way the US handled North Korea's nuclear program, global warming, the Israel-Hezbollah war and Guantanamo detainees.
Americans also expressed displeasure with its decline of positive influence in the world. It varies slightly according to the poll, but generally, approval in the US dropped from 71% in 2005 to 57% today.
The poll was conducted by GlobeScan and the University of Maryland.
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