'War on Terra' a Stinging Failure. Period.
 

By Anwaar Hussain*
June 19, 2006
Pakistan's Pak Tribune - Original Article (English)    


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As the duration of the War on Terra (that's Texanese for War on Terror, and I won't be reminding you again) now almost matches that of the Second World War, let us see how the man from Texas has done over the last five years.

Let us turn to a survey that has been done of 100 leading American foreign policy analysts. Released by the journal Foreign Affairs on June 14th, the report is entitled "The Terrorism Index" RealVideo.

The participants of the survey included a former U.S. secretary of state and former heads of the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, along with well-known members of the U.S. foreign-policy establishment. The majority served in previous administrations or in senior military posts. Chances are, they know what they're talking about, and the overwhelming consensus is not what America's ruling cabal would like to hear.

Despite the U.S. President's claim that he is winning the War on Terra, some 86 percent of these specialists believe otherwise. They think that the world has grown more, not less, dangerous, and that the main reasons are war in Iraq, the detention of terror suspects in Guantanamo Bay, U.S. policy toward Iran and American energy policy.

Almost 80 percent of the analysts say that a widespread rejection of radical Islamic ideology is crucial if terrorism is to be eradicated, but that this goal requires "a much higher emphasis on non-military tools." Across the board, they rated Washington's diplomatic efforts as appalling, with a median score of 1.8 out of 10. The Department of Homeland Security was rated for effectiveness at only 2.9 out of 10.

Joe Cirincione, vice-president of the Center for American Progress, the Washington think-tank which co-sponsored the survey said, "When you strip away the politics, the experts, almost to a person, are very worried about the administration … they think none of our front-line institutions is doing a good job and that Iraq has made the terror situation much worse."

Asked what presents the single greatest danger to American security, nearly half of the analysts said the greatest threat is from loose nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. Only four percent said Iran. Cirincione says the fact that so few experts think Iran is a threat and so many regard Iraq as a mistake, "turns the administration's policies on their head."

Leslie Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations was even more up front in his remarks. In the survey's accompanying report, he said, "The reason is that it's clear to nearly all, that Bush and his team have had a totally unrealistic view of what they can accomplish with military force and threats of force."

In plain English, what these experts are saying is that after five years of the War on Terra, the world is much more insecure than it ever was, and that the war itself is a ringing failure. Period.

What the experts did not say, was said by the Washington-based Pew Research Center's poll RealVideo of almost 17,000 people from Britain, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Spain, Turkey and the United States. The Foreign Affairs Journal report comes on the heels of this Pew poll, and the combined reading puts to rest any doubt that one may have regarding the complete collapse of the War on Terra.

According to the global poll, conducted between March and May, Pew found that President George Bush's six years in office have so battered the image of the United States that people worldwide see Washington as a bigger threat to world peace than Tehran. This despite the fact that throughout the period the poll was conducted, the crisis over Iran's nuclear program, intensified by hard-line comments from its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was repeatedly in the news.

The annual survey also shows the continued decline in support for the U.S. since 1999. In Muslim countries with which the United States has customarily enjoyed a good relationship, such as Turkey - a member of NATO - and Indonesia, there have also been slumps. In Indonesia, America's favorable ratings have dropped from 75% to 30%, and in Turkey from 52% to 12%.

Even in Britain, Washington's closest ally, favorable ratings have slumped from 83% in 1999 to 56% this year. The pattern is similar in France, down from 62% to 39%, Germany 78% to 37%, and Spain 50% to 23%.


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As part of the overall decline in support for the U.S., the survey also records a drop in support for the U.S.-led "War on Terra," even in countries like Spain, in spite of the Madrid bombings two years ago by al-Qaeda that left 192 dead. Support for the "War on Terra" dropped in Spain from 26% last year to 19% this year. Favorable ratings of the U.S. in India dropped over the year from 71% to 56%.

In the U.K., the second biggest contributor of troops in Iraq, 60% said the Iraq War had made the world more dangerous. Only 30% said it had made the world safer, and 41% of British people said the America's presence in Iraq represented a great danger to world peace, with 34% citing Iran as a bigger threat.

For the first time in the past five years, two influential reports are simultaneously speaking straight and to the point. No six-of-one-and-half-a-dozen-of-another language. The message is clear: The Texan's War on Terra is a miserable disaster.

However, there is a silver lining for the man from Crawford in the Pew poll. Majorities in two countries, India and Nigeria, have expressed confidence in him.

With a third reelection impossible for Bush, and the world wishing to begin its own "War on Terra" against him and his gang, Bush had better begin weighing his chances for the top slot in one of these countries (hint: Nigeria has proven oil reserves of 36 billion barrels).

Anwaar Hussain is a former Pakistan Air Force F-16 fighter pilot. With a Masters in Defense and Strategic Studies from Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad, he now    resides in United Arab Emirates. He has published a series of articles in Defense Journal, South Asia Tribune and a host of other web portals. Other than international affairs, Anwaar Hussain has written extensively on the religious and political issues that plague Pakistan.

Congress Is Important, Americans Say, but Just 29 Percent Approve

By Karlyn H. Bowman June 21, 2006 Roll Call  

How big a deal is Congress for ordinary Americans? In a mid-June Fox News/Opinion Dynamics survey, 36 percent said that a shift in the partisan control of Congress would make a lot of difference in their lives. Another 30 percent said it would make some difference, while only 16 percent and 13 percent said a little or no difference, respectively.

 

 
Resident Fellow Karlyn Bowman
  

And how satisfied were respondents about the current Congress? Just 29 percent approved of the job Congress was doing. Broken down by party affiliation, 23 percent of self-described Democrats, 41 percent of Republicans and 22 percent of independents said they approved of the job Congress was doing.

 

U.S. Leadership on Terrorism. The Pew Global Attitudes project recently released a 15-nation survey on attitudes about various countries, the Iraq war, the situation in Iran and bird flu. Most interviews were conducted in April and May.

Respondents were asked whether they favored or opposed “the U.S. led efforts to fight terrorism.” Seventy-three percent of Americans favored the effort, compared to 65 percent of respondents in India, 52 percent in Russia, 49 percent in Great Britain and Nigeria, 47 percent in Germany, 43 percent in France, 39 percent in Indonesia, 30 percent in Pakistan, 26 percent in Japan, 19 percent in Spain and China,16 percent in Jordan, 14 percent in Turkey and 10 percent in Egypt.

Zarqawi’s Revenge? Twenty-four percent of respondents told CBS News interviewers in a June 10-11 poll that attacks on Iraqi civilians would increase as a result of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s killing; 18 percent said they would decrease; and 54 percent said they would stay about the same. In the meantime, 30 percent of respondents said that attacks on U.S. troops would increase as a result of al-Zarqawi’s killing, 16 percent said they would decrease, and 50 percent said they would stay about the same.

The results were similar on a slightly different question asked June 9-11 by Gallup/USA Today. Thirty percent said there would be more insurgent attacks in Iraq as a result of his death, 20 percent said there would be fewer attacks, and 48 percent said there would be about the same number.

In the meantime, 31 percent of respondents in a mid-June Fox News/Opinion Dynamics survey called al-Zarqawi’s death a major victory, 46 percent said it was a minor one and 20 percent said it was not a victory.

Changing Religions. In its June 9-11 survey, 72 percent of those polled told Gallup and USA Today interviewers that they had always had the same religious preference. Another 15 percent said they had switched from one religion to another, while 10 percent said they had moved away from religion.

When those who had switched were asked why they had done so, the top two reasons were disagreement with the teachings of their original religion (40 percent) and finding a new religion that was more fulfilling (38 percent).

Black Men in America. In a recently released poll taken in March and April, The Washington Post, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University asked a large sample of Americans how various groups in this country were doing.

Just 10 percent of black men said that black men were doing very well. Forty percent of white men thought white men were doing very well.

In another question, 34 percent of black men said things were getting worse for black men in general, 29 percent said they were getting better and 36 percent said they were staying about the same. Black women were in general agreement about the condition of black men. By contrast, 58 percent of white men felt things were getting better for black men.

When asked about the single biggest problem facing black men today, 31 percent of black men responded that young black men were not taking their education seriously enough, followed by 15 percent who cited drug and alcohol abuse and 14 percent who pointed to irresponsible fathers.

When asked about the cause of the problems facing black men, 23 percent of black men said the problems were more a result of what whites had done to blacks, while 59 percent said the problems were a result of what black men have failed to do.

In another question, 61 percent of black men said that black men do not show proper respect for black women. Fifty-seven percent of this group called this a serious problem.

World Cup Fever? Nearly seven in 10 Americans--69 percent--told Gallup in early June that they did not plan to watch any of the World Cup soccer matches. Nine percent said they would watch as much as possible about them, while 22 percent said they would watch some but not a lot. Those responses are not significantly different from Gallup’s polls on the subject in 1990, 1994 and 2002.

In a Pew Research Center survey conducted in February and March this year, only 4 percent of those surveyed said soccer was their favorite sport. But six times as many Hispanics--24 percent--listed it as their favorite.

Karlyn H. Bowman is a resident fellow at AEI www.aei.org

6/14/06  www.payvand.com/news/06/jun/1130.html

Poll: America's Image Slips, But Allies Share U.S. Concerns Over Iran, Hamas


The latest survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, conducted among nearly 17,000 people in the United States and 14 other nations from March 31-May 14.
 
II. Iran and the Nuclear Question

Beyond the immediate issue of Iran's nuclear program, there is widespread sentiment - especially in the West - that countries that do not have nuclear weapons should be prevented from developing them. Overwhelming majorities in Germany (91%), Japan (87%) and France (85%) say non-nuclear countries should be prevented from developing nuclear weapons. Roughly three-quarters in Great Britain (77%), the United States (74%), and Russia (73%) also say that countries that do not have nuclear weapons should be prevented from developing such weapons.

Attitudes in Muslim countries on halting nuclear weapons proliferation divide along about the same lines as opinions on Iran's nuclear program. A narrow majority in Jordan (53%), 50% of Pakistanis, and 44% of Egyptians say non-nuclear countries should not be stopped in their attempts to develop nuclear weapons; comparable percentages in all three countries say they favor Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

Most Indonesians (61%) and Turks (58%) say countries that do not possess nuclear weapons should be prevented from developing them. Majorities in these countries also expressed opposition to Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons.

 

Divided Over Iran

 

Publics in Muslim and non-Muslim countries have deeply divided opinions about Iran - its nuclear program, its government, even the country itself. Solid majorities in four of the five predominantly Muslim countries express favorable opinions of Iran. In contrast, large majorities in most major industrialized countries - as well as pluralities in India and China - view Iran negatively.

More than three-quarters of Indonesians (77%) and nearly as many Pakistanis (72%) have favorable opinions of Iran. Smaller majorities in Egypt (59%) and Turkey (53%) also express positive views. Jordan is the only Muslim country surveyed where the public is divided - 49% express positive opinions of Iran and 51% negative ones.

Nigerians' views of Iran underscore the divide over Iran between Muslims and non-Muslims. Overall opinion in Nigeria, where Muslims constitute about half the population, is evenly split (43% favorable/44% unfavorable). However, there are huge differences between the country's Muslim and Christian populations; more than three-quarters of Nigeria's Muslims (78%) express favorable views of Iran, compared with just 10% of Nigerian Christians.

In three of four Western European countries surveyed - Germany, France and Spain - two-thirds or more express negative opinions of Iran. The lone exception is Great Britain, where unfavorable opinions of Iran outnumber favorable ones by a slight margin (39%-34%).

Most Americans (57%) view Iran negatively, though the percentage expressing unfavorable opinions has fallen significantly from the recent past. In a February 2006 survey by the Gallup Organization 86% had an unfavorable view of Iran; that is fairly consistent with findings from Gallup surveys dating to 2002.

 

Little Confidence in Ahmadinejad

 

While publics in most Muslim countries have high regard for the country of Iran, they voice more negative opinions of its president. Roughly two-thirds in both Egypt (68%) and Jordan (65%) say they have little or no confidence in Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to "do the right thing" in world affairs. In Turkey, 41% say they have no confidence in the Ahmadinejad, while only a quarter of Turks say they have a lot or some confidence in the Iranian president.

Indonesia (48%) and Nigeria (40%) are the only countries surveyed where pluralities say they have at least some confidence in Ahmadinejad. In Nigeria, views of the Iranian leader - like those of the country itself - are split along religious lines. While 69% of Nigeria's Muslims say they have confidence in Iran's president, just 13% of the country's Christians share that view.

Western Europeans express even less confidence in Ahmadinejad than do the publics of Muslim countries. Majorities in Germany (60%), France (57%) and Spain (53%) say they have no confidence in the Iranian leader. Opinion of Iran's president is less negative in Great Britain; still, 39% say they have no confidence and 21% not too much confidence in Ahmadinejad.

 

More See Iran as Danger

 

An increasing number in the U.S., as well as in Western Europe and Russia, believe that the government of Iran represents a danger to Mideast stability and world peace. Nearly half of Americans (46%) now say that the Iranian government poses a great danger to global peace; three years ago, just 26% expressed this opinion.

The shift has been even more dramatic among Western European publics; 51% of Germans believe the current government in Tehran is a great danger to world peace, up from 18% in May 2003. In Spain, France and Great Britain, the percentage of people who see Iran as a great danger has roughly tripled compared with three years ago.

Fewer Russians than Americans or Western Europeans think the government of Iran represents a serious danger (20%). However, about half of Russians (52%) say Iran poses a great or at least a moderate danger to regional stability and world peace. In May 2003, just 17% of Russians thought that Iran represented at least a moderate danger.

Iran's government is viewed as far less dangerous by publics in the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed. Nonetheless, 19% of Jordanians say the government of Iran represents a great danger - and 25% a moderate danger - to stability in the Middle East and world peace; in May 2003, just 16% viewed Iran as a great or moderate danger. Opinion on this issue has been more stable in Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan. In each of these countries, as well as in Egypt, no more than about a third believes that the Iranian government poses a great or moderate danger to peace and stability.

 

Iran's Nuclear Goal - Weapons

 

In the Middle East and major industrialized countries, overwhelming numbers of citizens say they have heard of the dispute over Iran's nuclear program. But this is not the case in other countries. A majority in China (54%) has not heard of the issue, and substantial minorities in Pakistan (45%), Indonesia (41%), and Nigeria (40%) also are unaware of the Iran nuclear controversy.

The dominant opinion among those who have heard about the nuclear dispute - in Muslim and non-Muslim countries alike - is that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons, either as its sole objective or along with developing nuclear energy.

In major industrialized countries, with the exception of Great Britain, large majorities express the opinion that the goal of Iran's nuclear program is nuclear weapons; relatively few volunteer that Tehran has the dual goals of weapons and energy. The idea that Iran seeks both weapons and energy is a much more prevalent view in other countries. In Egypt, 30% think that Iran's aim is nuclear weapons, while about as many (28%) think the goal of its nuclear program is both weapons and energy. Relatively high percentages in Jordan and Turkey (28% in each) also volunteer that Iran wants to develop both weapons and energy from its nuclear program.

More than four-in-ten Indonesians (44%) say the goal of Iran's nuclear program is energy - the highest percentage of the 15 nations surveyed. Still, somewhat more Indonesians (a combined 51%) say Iran's goal is either to develop nuclear weapons (33%), or volunteer that it wants both weapons and energy (18%).

 

What Would Iran Do?

 

There is no consensus about what Iran would be likely to do if it in fact develops nuclear weapons. But Americans and Western Europeans generally believe that two cataclysmic scenarios are likely - that Iran would provide nuclear weapons to terrorist organizations, and that it would attack Israel.

Large majorities in the U.S. and Western Europe, as well as about half of Japanese (52%), say that if Iran develops nuclear weapons it would be likely to provide them to terrorist groups. An Iranian attack on Israel also is viewed as likely by most Americans and Western Europeans.

The publics in predominantly Muslim countries mostly believe a nuclear-armed Iran would use such weapons for defensive purposes only. Fully 80% of Indonesians and smaller majorities in other Muslim countries say Iran is likely to use nuclear weapons only in its own defense. In addition, relatively small minorities in all five Muslim countries surveyed feel that Iran is likely to pass along nuclear weapons to terrorists.

At the same time, however, more than six-in-ten in Jordan (65%) and Egypt (61%) say that if Iran develops nuclear weapons, it would be likely to attack Israel; about half of Turks (51%) and Indonesians (49%) agree. And in Jordan and Egypt, in particular, sizable minorities favor Iran actually acquiring nuclear weapons (45% and 44%, respectively).

There also is a widespread belief, in Muslim and non-Muslim countries alike, that a nuclear-armed Iran is likely to attack the United States or European nations. Two-thirds of Spaniards (66%) and nearly as many Americans (63%) say such an attack is likely. Roughly half of the respondents in France, Germany and Britain - as well as in Turkey, Indonesia and Jordan - say an attack by Iran on the U.S. or Europe is likely.

In both Pakistan and China, relatively large percentages declined to offer opinions on possible actions by Iran, if it were to develop nuclear weapons. In each country, just 37% have heard of the dispute over Iran's nuclear program; that is by far the lowest level of awareness among the 15 countries surveyed.

FULL REPORT http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=252

America's Image Slips, But Allies Share U.S. Concerns Over Iran, Hamas
No Global Warming Alarm in the U.S., China

Released: 06.13.06

Navigate this report
Summary of Findings
I. America's Image and U.S. Foreign Policy
II. Iran and the Nuclear Question
III. Global Concerns and Issues
Methodological Appendix
Questionnaire

Summary of Findings

America's global image has again slipped and support for the war on terrorism has declined even among close U.S. allies like Japan. The war in Iraq is a continuing drag on opinions of the United States, not only in predominantly Muslim countries but in Europe and Asia as well. And despite growing concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions, the U.S. presence in Iraq is cited at least as often as Iran - and in many countries much more often - as a danger to world peace.

A year ago, anti-Americanism had shown some signs of abating, in part because of the positive feelings generated by U.S. aid for tsunami victims in Indonesia and elsewhere. But favorable opinions of the United States have fallen in most of the 15 countries surveyed. Only about a quarter of the Spanish public (23%) expresses positive views of the U.S., down from 41% last year; America's image also has declined significantly in India (from 71% to 56%) and Indonesia (from 38% to 30%).

Yet the survey shows that Americans and the publics of major U.S. allies share common concerns, not only over the possible nuclear threat posed by Iran but also over the recent victory by the Hamas Party in Palestinian elections. In contrast, the predominantly Muslim populations surveyed generally are less worried about both of these developments.

Nearly half of Americans (46%) view the current government in Iran as a "great danger" to stability in the Middle East and to world peace, up from 26% in 2003. Concern over Iran also has risen sharply in Western Europe, especially Germany. Currently 51% of Germans see Iran as a great danger to world peace, compared with just 18% three years ago.

Opposition to Iran developing nuclear weapons is nearly unanimous in Germany, Japan, France, and Great Britain, as well as in the U.S. Opinion in predominantly Muslim countries varies widely: solid majorities in Turkey (61%) and Indonesia (59%) oppose Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, but people in Egypt and Jordan are divided, and most Pakistanis (52%) favor Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. In addition, more people in major industrialized nations than in Muslim countries believe that Iran wants a nuclear program to develop weapons, not nuclear energy.

Divisions between the West and Muslim nations in opinions of the Hamas Party's victory are even wider. Fully 71% of Germans and 69% of the French feel the Hamas triumph will be bad for the Palestinian people, among those who are aware of the issue. Somewhat fewer Americans (50%) express this view, although just 20% think the Hamas triumph will be a good thing for the Palestinians. Among major U.S. allies, only the British are divided on Hamas' election - 34% say it will be bad, while 32% take a positive view.

By contrast, large majorities in Pakistan (87%), Egypt (76%), Jordan (68%), and Indonesia (61%) feel that the Hamas Party victory will be good for the Palestinian people, among those who had heard about the election. In addition, the Muslim publics surveyed generally feel the Hamas triumph will increase chances of a fair settlement of the Mideast conflict - a view that is roundly rejected in the West.

The latest survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, conducted among nearly 17,000 people in the United States and 14 other nations from March 31-May 14, finds that the U.S.-led war on terror draws majority support in just two countries - India and Russia. In India, support for the U.S.-led war on terror has increased significantly over the past year - from 52% to 65% - even though opinions of the U.S. have grown more negative over that period.

But in most other countries, support for the war on terror is either flat or has declined. In Japan, barely a quarter of respondents (26%) now favor the U.S.-led war on terror, down from 61% in the summer of 2002. Only about four-in-ten Indonesians (39%) back the war on terror, compared with 50% a year ago. And in Spain, the site of a devastating terrorist attack two years ago, four times as many people oppose the war on terror as support it (76% vs. 19%).

The survey shows that the Iraq war continues to exact a toll on America's overall image and on support for the struggle against terrorism. Majorities in 10 of 14 foreign countries surveyed say that the war in Iraq has made the world a more dangerous place. In Great Britain, America's most important ally in Iraq, 60% say the war has made the world more dangerous, while just half that number (30%) feel it has made the world safer.

Moreover, even as concerns about Iran have increased, somewhat more Britons believe that the U.S. military presence in Iraq represents a great danger to stability in the Middle East and world peace than say that about the current government in Iran (by 41%-34%). In Spain, fully 56% say the U.S. military presence in Iraq is a great danger to the stability of the Middle East and world peace; just 38% regard the current government in Iran in the same way. Among America's traditional allies, Germany is the only country where more people say Iran is a great danger than offer the same view of the U.S. military presence in Iraq (by 51%-40%).

Opinions about threats to global peace also reflect regional concerns. While solid majorities in Jordan and Egypt see America's presence in Iraq as a great danger, even higher percentages in these countries view the Israel-Palestinian conflict as a great danger to regional stability and world peace. The Japanese are particularly concerned about North Korea - 46% say the government there represents a great danger to world peace. Those concerns are not shared nearly as much in China, which borders North Korea; just 11% of Chinese feel that the current government in Pyongyang poses a great danger to Asian stability and world peace.

 

 

The survey finds sizable gaps in public attentiveness to major issues and events. In this regard, the extraordinarily high level of attentiveness to bird flu disease is significant. More than 90% of the publics in 14 of 15 countries polled say they have heard of the disease; the only exception is Pakistan, where 82% say they are aware of the disease.

But attentiveness to other widely covered issues and events varies widely. There is nearly universal awareness of global warming in major industrialized countries; in addition, 80% of Russians and 78% of Chinese say they have heard of global warming. Yet global warming has drawn scant attention in Muslim countries, with the exception of Turkey (75%). And in India, just 57% say they have heard of global warming.

Reports about U.S. prison abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo have attracted broad attention in Western Europe and Japan - more attention, in fact, than in the United States. Roughly three-quarters of Americans (76%) say they have heard of the prison abuses, compared with about 90% or more in the four Western European countries and Japan.

Among predominantly Muslim countries, large majorities in Egypt (80%), Jordan (79%), and Turkey (68%) say they have heard of the reports of prison abuse. But in Indonesia, Pakistan, and among Muslims in Nigeria, most people have not heard of this issue. Moreover, just 38% of Chinese and 23% of Indians say they are aware of the prison abuse story.

While there is extensive interest in bird flu, public alarm over the spread of the disease has been mostly limited to Asia. Nearly two-thirds of Indonesians (65%) say they are very worried that they themselves or a family member will be exposed to the bird flu; bird flu worries also are extensive in India (57% very worried), Nigeria (57%), and Russia (56%). But the disease has generated far less concern in Western Europe and the United States. Only about one-in-ten Americans (13%) say they are very worried about the bird flu; similar levels of concern are evident in France (13%), Germany (10%), and Great Britain (9%).

There also is a substantial gap in concern over global warming - roughly two-thirds of Japanese (66%) and Indians (65%) say they personally worry a great deal about global warming. Roughly half of the populations of Spain (51%) and France (46%) also express great concern over global warming, based on those who have heard about the issue.

But there is no evidence of alarm over global warming in either the United States or China - the two largest producers of greenhouse gases. Just 19% of Americans and 20% of the Chinese who have heard of the issue say they worry a lot about global warming - the lowest percentages in the 15 countries surveyed. Moreover, nearly half of Americans (47%) and somewhat fewer Chinese (37%) express little or no concern about the problem.

The survey finds the most publics surveyed are dissatisfied with national conditions. But China is a notable exception - 81% of Chinese say they are satisfied with the way things are going in their country, up from 72% in 2005. Majorities in only two other countries - Egypt (55%) and Jordan (53%) - express satisfaction with national conditions.

Only about three-in-ten Americans (29%) say they are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S., down from 39% last year and 50% in 2003. Levels of national satisfaction in France have followed a similar downward trajectory - from 44% in 2003 to just 20% today. Public discontent is even higher in Nigeria, which has been wracked by internal strife. Just 7% of Nigerians have a positive view of the state of the nation, compared with 93% who express a negative opinion.

Other Major Findings

 

  • There has been a marked change in views of the Middle East conflict in both Germany and France. In both countries, increasing numbers sympathize with Israel; Germans now side with Israel over the Palestinians by about two-to-one (37%-18%).
     
  • German Chancellor Angela Merkel is enormously popular in France as well as in Germany. Fully 80% of the French express at least some confidence in Merkel.
     
  • Positive views of the American people - along with the U.S. - have declined in Spain. Just 37% of the Spanish feel favorably toward Americans, down from 55% last year.
     
  • Turks are increasingly turning away from the war on terror. More than three-quarters of Turks (77%) oppose the U.S.-led war on terror, up from 56% in 2004.
     
  • Negative views of France have increased over the past year, especially in Muslim countries. In Turkey, 61% feel unfavorably toward France, up from 51% last year.



 

About the Pew Global Attitudes Project

 

The Pew Global Attitudes Project is a series of worldwide public opinion surveys encompassing a broad array of subjects ranging from people's assessments of their own lives to their views about the current state of the world and important issues of the day. The Pew Global Attitudes Project is co-chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, currently principal, the Albright Group LLC, and by former Senator John C. Danforth, currently partner, Bryan Cave LLP. The project is directed by Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan "fact tank" in Washington, DC, that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. The Pew Global Attitudes Project is principally funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Since its inception in 2001, the project has released 13 major reports, as well as numerous commentaries and other releases, on topics including attitudes towards the U.S. and American foreign policy, globalization, democratization, and terrorism.

Pew Global Attitudes Project team members include Mary McIntosh, president of Princeton Survey Research Associates International, and Bruce Stokes, an international economics columnist at the National Journal. Contributors to the report and to the Pew Global Attitudes Project include Richard Wike, Carroll Doherty, Paul Taylor, Michael Dimock, Elizabeth Mueller Gross, Jodie T. Allen, and others of the Pew Research Center. For this survey, the Pew Global Attitudes Project team consulted with survey and policy experts, regional and academic experts, and policymakers. Their expertise provided tremendous guidance in shaping the survey.

Following each release, the project also produces a series of in-depth analyses on specific topics covered in the survey, which will be found at pewglobal.org. The data are also made available on our website within two years of publication.

For further information, please contact:
Richard Wike
Senior Project Director
Pew Global Attitudes Project
202.419.4400
rwike@pewresearch.org

Navigate this report
Summary of Findings
I. America's Image and U.S. Foreign Policy
II. Iran and the Nuclear Question
III. Global Concerns and Issues
Methodological Appendix
Questionnaire

* * * *

I. America's Image and U.S. Foreign Policy

I. America's Image and U.S. Foreign Policy

With America's image declining in many parts of the world, favorability ratings for the United States continue to trail those of other major countries. In Europe, as well as predominantly Muslim countries, the U.S. is generally less popular than Germany, France, Japan, and China. However, the U.S. fares somewhat better in Asia; in fact, Indians rate the U.S. higher than Germany, France, or China and only slightly below Japan. However, America's favorability rating has dropped 15 points in India since last year.

 

 

Meanwhile, Japan and China, two neighboring Asian rivals with long histories of conflict, hold very negative opinions of one another. Slightly more than a quarter of Japanese (28%) have a positive opinion of China, and even fewer Chinese (21%) have a favorable view of Japan. On the other hand, traditional European rivals Germany and France rate one another quite positively; in fact, both rate the other country more favorably than their own.

In Western Europe, attitudes toward America remain considerably more negative than they were in 2002, prior to the Iraq war.1 However, in a reversal of recent patterns, this year young people in France and Germany are more likely to have a favorable opinion of the U.S. than are their older counterparts. Over the last year, positive assessments of the U.S. have increased among French and German 18-34 year-olds, while declining among those age 35 and older.

 

Nigerians Split Over U.S.

 

In Nigeria, Christians and Muslims hold starkly different opinions of the U.S., and America's relatively high overall rating - 62% favorable - masks deep divisions between the country's two main religious groups. Roughly nine-in-ten (89%) Nigerian Christians have a favorable view of the U.S., compared with only 32% of Nigerian Muslims.

This gap has grown slightly since 2003, when America's favorability was 85% among Christians and 38% among Muslims. Christians and Muslims have quite different views of other countries as well, but these two groups are especially polarized over the U.S., with Christians holding a more positive view of the U.S. than of other countries and Muslims having a more negative view of America than of other countries.

 

France's Image Slips

 

Turmoil in France over the last year - riots by immigrants and others last fall, as well as protests in February through April of this year over an attempt to change French labor law - appears to have taken a toll on France's image. In every country where trends are available - with one exception - the image of France has declined significantly since 2005, including double digit falls in Indonesia (from 68% to 52% favorable), Turkey (from 30% to 18%), and Great Britain (from 71% to 59%).

The lone exception is the U.S., where 52% now have a favorable impression of France, still below the pre-Iraq War level of 79% in February 2002, but up from 46% last year. France is considerably more popular now among Americans than in May 2003, when only 29% gave France a favorable grade.

 

Americans More Favorable

 

The improved attitudes in the U.S. toward France are part of a broader trend - the American public's feelings about other major countries are also more positive than in 2005. Germany, China, and Japan also receive more positive assessments from the American people.

A narrow majority of Americans (52%) now have a favorable opinion of China, up from 43% last year. And the already strong favorability rating for Germany has also improved, jumping from 60% in 2005 to 66% this year. Japan's rating has also grown from 63% to 66%; however, this is not a statistically significant change.

 

Views of the American People

 

Opinions of the American people have declined, in some cases substantially, since 2002. Nonetheless, publics around the world continue to have a more positive opinion of the American people than they do of the United States. In seven of the 14 foreign countries surveyed, at least half of respondents have a favorable impression of Americans; in contrast, four countries give the U.S. positive marks. Americans remain relatively popular in Britain, France, and Germany; however in Spain, the image of Americans has plummeted, dropping from 55% favorable last year to 37% this year. On this issue, the Spanish public is now more similar to Muslim countries than to its Western European neighbors.

Although Americans are still unpopular in the five predominantly Muslim countries, there have been slight, but significant, improvements in Jordan and Pakistan. These are balanced, however, by declines among Indonesians and Turks. In Turkey - a longstanding NATO ally - fewer than one-in-five (17%) have a favorable opinion of Americans.

Perceptions of the American people have grown more negative in Nigeria since 2003, however almost all of the decline has taken place among the country's Muslim population - in 2003 48% of Muslims had a favorable impression of Americans; three years later only 23% view Americans favorably. Meanwhile, Nigerian Christians continue to hold Americans in extraordinarily high regard (88% favorable in 2003, 86% favorable today).

Americans are relatively well-liked in the three Asian countries we surveyed, with 82% of Japanese giving the American people favorable marks, up from 73% in 2002. Americans remain popular in India (67% favorable), and in China the favorability rating for Americans has increased six points to 49%.

 

Bush Even Less Popular in Europe

 

While the past year has been a difficult one for President Bush domestically, his troubles are also reflected in international public opinion. Confidence in Bush to do the right thing in world affairs has dropped in seven of the 11 countries where trend data from 2005 is available. Opinion of Bush has continued to decline in European countries, while Muslims publics remain strongly opposed to the American president. At 3%, Turkey now registers the lowest level of confidence in President Bush. The country with the largest drop in confidence for Bush over the last year, however, is the U.S.; 62% had a lot or some confidence in Bush last year, compared to 50% this year.

Bush receives relatively low marks compared to the other European leaders tested on the survey - Great Britain's Tony Blair, France's Jacque Chirac, Germany's Angela Merkel, and Russia's Vladimir Putin - although there are some exceptions. For example, Bush is the highest rated leader in India and Nigeria. In the latter, Bush's popularity is overwhelmingly driven by the country's Christian population (82% a lot or some confidence among Christians, 19% among Muslims).

 

 

Tony Blair remains extremely popular among the American people, as two-in-three have confidence that he will do the right thing in world affairs. Despite being a left-of-center political figure in Britain, Blair is especially popular among Republicans (88% a lot or some confidence), although majorities of Democrats (55%) and independents (63%) also have confidence in the British prime minister. However, Americans place little trust in either Chirac or Putin.

Meanwhile, despite two trips to the U.S. since her election as Germany's first female chancellor, a plurality (39%) of Americans declined to offer an opinion of Merkel. Among Germans, however, she is extremely popular - 77% of Germans have confidence in her ability to handle international affairs.

 

Waning Support for the War on Terrorism

 

Nearly five years after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, international support for the U.S.-led war on terrorism continues to wane. Outside of the U.S. only two countries - India and Russia - register majority support for the war on terror, and it remains particularly unpopular in predominantly Muslim countries, although support has risen eight points since last year among Pakistanis, whose government is a key partner in efforts to combat Al Qaeda.

Among several of America's traditional allies, support has fallen steeply since 2002, and it has virtually collapsed in two countries, Spain and Japan. In the former, the percentage who favor U.S. efforts against terrorism now stands at 19%, down from 63% in 2003, while among Japanese it has tumbled from 61% in 2002 to 26% today.

 

Ongoing Concerns About Iraq

 

As was true last year, publics from a variety of regions believe the war in Iraq has generated more instability in the world. In ten of fifteen countries, a majority say the war has made the world more dangerous.

The French public is the most likely to believe this, followed by Jordan, Turkey, and Egypt. Meanwhile, the U.S. is the only country in which a majority - although a narrow one (51%) - believes the war has made the world a safer place, although pluralities in India and Nigeria also think the war has made the world safer.

International opinion on the future of Iraq is generally gloomy. Majorities in most countries surveyed believe that efforts to establish a stable democratic government in Iraq will ultimately fail. Pessimism is strongest in Spain, Turkey, Germany, Jordan, and Egypt - in all five countries, more than six-in-ten respondents believe efforts to establish democracy will definitely or probably fail.

However, a narrow majority in Great Britain, the country with the second largest military contingent in Iraq, believe these efforts will ultimately succeed. Even greater numbers of Indians and Nigerians believe democracy will be established in Iraq.

American public opinion also tends to be somewhat optimistic about the future of Iraq, with 54% saying efforts to establish a stabl