Though Obama Viewed Positively, Still Much Criticism of U.S. Foreign Policy: Global Poll
COLLEGE PARK, Md., July 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll finds that around the world U.S. foreign policy continues to receive heavy criticism on a variety of fronts, even though in 13 of 19 nations most people say they have confidence in President Obama to do the right thing in international affairs.
The U.S. 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). Overall, views are mixed on whether the U.S. is playing a mainly positive or mainly negative role in the world.
Asked whether they have confidence in Obama to “do the right thing regarding world affairs,” for all nations (excluding the U.S.) an average of 61 percent say they have some or a lot of confidence.
But asked how the U.S. treats their government, 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 U.S. wants.” Overall, these views are no better than they were in 2008.
In all nations polled, majorities say that the U.S. “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%). Even 71 percent of Americans agree.
Steven Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org comments, “Most people around the world seem to have a positive view of the young new captain at the helm of the American ship of state, though many people see this huge ship as still carrying forward domineering policies.”
WorldPublicOpinion.org conducted the poll of 19,923 respondents from April 4-June 12, 2009 (margins of error range from +/- 3-4%) in 20 nations that comprise 62 percent of the world’s population, including China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Mexico, Germany, Great Britain, France, Poland, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Kenya, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, the Palestinian territories, and South Korea. Polling was also conducted in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.
WorldPublicOpinion.org is a project managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland.
For more information, please visit www.worldpublicopinion.org.
Source: Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland
Web Site: http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/
