In wake of Iraq war, allies prefer China to U.S.

[Matrix Heart]

America's rating was lowest in Turkey, Pakistan and Jordan

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States' image is so tattered overseas two years after the Iraq invasion that communist China is viewed more favorably than the U.S. in many long-time Western European allies, an international poll has found.

The poor image persists even though the Bush administration has been promoting freedom and democracy throughout the world in recent months -- which many viewed favorably -- and has sent hundreds of millions of dollars in relief aid to Indian Ocean nations hit by the devastating December 26 tsunami.

"It's amazing when you see the European public rating the United States so poorly, especially in comparison with China," said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, which surveyed public opinion in 16 countries, including the United States.

In Britain, almost two-thirds of Britons, 65 percent, saw China favorably, compared with 55 percent who held a positive view of the United States.

In France, 58 percent had an upbeat view of China, compared with 43 percent who felt that way about the U.S. The results were nearly the same in Spain and the Netherlands.

The United States' favorability rating was lowest among three Muslim nations which are also U.S. allies -- Turkey, Pakistan and Jordan -- where only about one-fifth of those polled viewed the U.S. in a positive light.

Only India and Poland were more upbeat about the United States, while Canadians were just as likely to see China favorably as they were the U.S.

The poll found suspicion and wariness of the United States in many countries where people question the war in Iraq and are growing wary of the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism.

"The Iraq war has left an enduring impression on the minds of people around the world in ways that make them very suspicious of U.S. intentions and makes the effort to win hearts and minds far more difficult," said Shibley Telhami, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

The overseas image of the United States slipped sharply after the Iraq invasion in 2003, the Pew polling found, and it has not rebounded in Western European countries like Britain, France, Germany and Spain.

However the U.S. image has bounced back in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country which benefited from U.S. aid to tsunami victims, as well as in India and Russia.

Support for the U.S.-led war on terror has dipped in Western countries like Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Spain, while it remains low in the Muslim countries surveyed like Pakistan, Turkey and Jordan.

"The position of the United States as the one surviving superpower is to be assertive in responding in a world of terrorism. But in the rest of the world, there is a great wariness about that," said John Danforth, the former Republican senator from Missouri who also was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He is now a St. Louis attorney.

The poll found a positive reaction in European countries to President George W. Bush's campaign for more democracy in countries around the world. People in Muslim countries were wary of the U.S. campaign, but supportive of the idea of democracy in their own countries.

Danforth said the attitudes in the Mideast about democracy were a bright spot.

"We should keep plugging away on democracy," Danforth said. "But we need to do a better job of communicating what we're trying to do."

The survey found that a majority of people in most countries say the United States does not take the interests of other countries into account when making international policy decisions.

It also found most would like to see another country get as much military power as the United States, though few want China to play that role.

People in most countries were more inclined to say the war in Iraq has made the world a more dangerous place. Non-U.S. residents who had unfavorable views of the United States were most likely to cite Bush as the reason rather than a general problem with America.

The polls were taken in various countries from late April to the end of May with samples of about 1,000 in most countries, with more interviewees in India and China and slightly less than 1,000 in the European countries. The margin of sampling error ranged from 2 percentage points to 4 percentage points, depending on the sample size.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/23/poll.america.ap/index.html

[Bomb-A®]

Only India and Poland were more upbeat about the United States

an internation poll....by who...who were the respondents, no1 asked me!!



peace

[Real American]

Communist, oppressive and repressive China over the USA?

This just proves how out of touch the rest of the world is.

[Ant]

Communist, oppressive and repressive China over the USA?

This just proves how out of touch the rest of the world is.

your lack of personal achievment proves how stupid you are.

[J Bananas]

China ain't going around invading random nations for oil and killing its citizens in the name of liberation.

China is a full of ignorant assholes who are ashamed of women and have just now  in the past couple years shifted towards a "democracy"

[TeeRaySix9Teen]

Communist, oppressive and repressive China over the USA?

This just proves how out of touch the rest of the world is.

gotta love the American ability to see your own countries faults. The ENTIRE world could have a problem with us, and it would still be THEM who are out of touch....lol

[TeeRaySix9Teen]

China ain't going around invading random nations for oil and killing its citizens in the name of liberation.

China is a full of ignorant assholes who are ashamed of women and have just now  in the past couple years shifted towards a "democracy"

Im assuming a good part of the world see's America as a bunch of ignorant selfish assholes who believe anything they see on tv that tells them theyre the best

[7even]

China ain't going around invading random nations for oil and killing its citizens in the name of liberation.

China is a full of ignorant assholes who are ashamed of women and have just now  in the past couple years shifted towards a "democracy"

Im assuming a good part of the world sees America as a bunch of ignorant selfish assholes who believe anything they see on tv that tells them theyre the best

You assumed right.

[Fuck You, Pay Me]

I think the American people have good intentions. If you live here, you can see how Americans are always down to help others, you can see their generosity, and willingness to help. I think the problem lies in the fact that the average joe doesn't exactly know what's going on in other parts of the world. It has less to do with having bad intentions than it does with ignorance. If they really knew the history behind things, the actual facts and conditions, instead of believing the bullshit fed to them from news networks owned by big corporations which are basically in the palms of the government, then things would be different. For example, most Americans don't know about the atrocities the Israeli government carries out against the Palestinian people. All they see on the news is some Arab blowing himself up in a cafe. If they knew the whole story, I think most would be reluctant to pay thousands of their own dollars to the Israeli government. I don't even think that most people know how much of their money is going to the Israeli government each and every year. Point is that Americans are generally kind-hearted people, but you just gotta be able to reach out to them with the truth.

[J Bananas]

Whatever fags I got a friend from china who admits the error in the common chinese citizens thinking, and acknowledges that most people in America and Europe have no clue of the ass backward things that are common place routine. And please don't try and argue over grammar mistakes to try and cover up for your weak ass attempt to discredit the American people and appear as a sympathizer to Asians. You will not fool intelligent people, just lambs who believe the hype. Please go back to struggling to be heard in the real world and learn something about making a legit point before you embarass yourself again.

[TeeRaySix9Teen]

just lambs who believe the hype

and you would be some sort of innovator with your Chinese comment? lol

[TeeRaySix9Teen]

I think the American people have good intentions. If you live here, you can see how Americans are always down to help others, you can see their generosity, and willingness to help. I think the problem lies in the fact that the average joe doesn't exactly know what's going on in other parts of the world. It has less to do with having bad intentions than it does with ignorance. If they really knew the history behind things, the actual facts and conditions, instead of believing the bullshit fed to them from news networks owned by big corporations which are basically in the palms of the government, then things would be different. For example, most Americans don't know about the atrocities the Israeli government carries out against the Palestinian people. All they see on the news is some Arab blowing himself up in a cafe. If they knew the whole story, I think most would be reluctant to pay thousands of their own dollars to the Israeli government. I don't even think that most people know how much of their money is going to the Israeli government each and every year. Point is that Americans are generally kind-hearted people, but you just gotta be able to reach out to them with the truth.

Shit, im American. And believe me id rather live here then anywhere. But also believe me, i see how people are. And SOME do have good intentions of course. But, there are FARRR more that would rather not know anything bad going on in the rest of the world because it might make them sad lol. Ignorance isnt really an excuse. Shit, we're in America. Yeah, the media is bullshit....newspapers can be bullshit....FOX news BULLSHIT...but we have as many resources as anyone to find out the truth of whats really going on in the world. Americans just chose not to. A lot of em just dont want to waste their time with that. It doesnt concern them. High gas prices....now THATS some important shit! Whos gonna win Next Top Model? Definetely important! You mentioned whats going on in Isreal. Man, the entire middle east could be wiped off the face of the planet...and if the news report hit the same time as the final episode of American Idol...no one here would even know.

[Bomb-A®]

Communist, oppressive and repressive China over the USA?

This just proves how out of touch the rest of the world is.

gotta love the American ability to see your own countries faults. The ENTIRE world could have a problem with us, and it would still be THEM who are out of touch....lol

yup makes u want to nuke them and buy a britney spears cd at the same time



peace