World Public Opinion seems to be a new group (formed in Jan 2006) that poles public opinion of the world. "Others report what the world does, we report waht the world thinks." The put out recent poll: World Publics Reject US Role as the World Leader.Most say the US shouldn't be the preeminent world leader but should do it share. "Majorities in 13 out of 15 publics polled say the United States is 'playing the role of world policeman more than it should be.'" To me the most troubling was "In 10 out of 15 countries, the most common view is that the United States cannot be trusted to 'act responsibly in the world."
This is what Bush did to this country, and the problem is most of the world would accept it as Bush's fault, but by re-electing him in 2004, they think the US agrees with him. Maybe that's right, but US poles seem to suggest that's changing. Hopefully we can convince the world again, but I think it will take a long time.
2 comments:
Come on, are you that naive, the world has hated us steadily since WWII. I was in Zambia during the era of Clinton, and they would mock him as a fool and child. The truth is that no matter how much money we give around the world and how much of a backseat we take, we will be ridiculed because we are the strongest country.
I think that the idea of US "leading the world" or being "beacon for the rest of the world" is American one. It is how Americans like to think of themselves. Certainly, there is a ground for that. However, except for a couple of countries (UK, Poland...?) I can't think of any that welcomes this situation. Cooperating and coping with, yes, but not looking for any kind of beacon, would probably describe the position of most. The notion of multi-polar world, so well known and advocated in Europe, seems to have completely eluded US :)
@Brian Duffy.... "no matter how much money we give around the world" is a good example of stuff Americans are brainwashed with. Per-capita, US rates at the bottom of the list of countries that "give money".
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