Drop in Foreign Support for U.S. Worries Experts

[Spazito]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A decline in popular support for the United States among many of its traditional allies in the year after the Iraq (news - web sites) war has foreign policy experts worried and is playing into the presidential campaign.



A poll released this week by the Pew Research Center of opinion in eight European and Middle Eastern countries showed that dislike and even contempt for the U.S. was growing. Among Europeans, particularly in France and Germany, much of the public had lost confidence in the honesty of the U.S. government and its commitment to democracy, it showed.

snip

It should be of deep concern to Americans to see the extent to which we are disliked by what used to be our friends. We need partners to fight terrorism and conduct foreign policy," said Pew pollster Andrew Kohut.


John Steinbruner, director of the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, said the Bush administration seemed exclusively focused on domestic opinion and was disdainful of overseas viewpoints.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&e=1&u=/nm/iraq_usa_support_dc

[devilgrrl]

1. The Bush Crime Family is reaping the fruits of the seeds it has sown...

how anyone is surprised is beyond me.

[David__77]

2. Bush is the protagonist for future big power rivalry.

Interestingly, someone like Kerry would best assure continued US hegemony because he would politically neurealize opposition in the West. Bush is the perfect protagonist for opposition. He's the best single organizing principle for a new anti-US bloc in the West.

[NC_Nurse]

3. What I want to know is

why aren't more americans worried about this? These arrogant bastards have made us the jerks of the world!:mad: :mad:

[BeHereNow]

9. Scott M. Peck says this:

"There is today in America a disease, a sickness of hatred. It’s very
existence is a universal form of group narcissism.
Peck calls it, “enemy creation,” or “hatred of the ‘out-group.’” If a
group does not have an enemy, “it will most likely
create one in short order.” Peck wrote, “The groups become
cliques. Those who do not belong to the group are
despised as being inferior or evil or both.”

Unfortunately, I think this describes the majority of our
fellow citizens perfectly and that is why they are not
alarmed. They actually believe they are superior to
those "foreigners" despite the FACT that they are
far less educated, more obese and addicted to all
sorts of substances and self destructive behaviors.
Most Amercians have never traveled outside of
this country and have no clue how to behave when
they do.
BHN

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

10. Because Americans don't travel.

>why aren't more americans worried about this?

Since when has middle America ever given a damn about the rest of the world? How many of them travel overseas?

[dawn]

13. Well, to hell with them.

I travel overseas as much as I can afford to, along with millions of other Americans, and I'm tired of apologizing for the actions of my irresponsible government.

And I'm tired of the "ugly American" stereotype. I am sure I don't conform to it when overseas (it's not hard to be polite, but some don't know how to not be rude). However, I hate it when others cringe when they hear my accent. :(

[SquireJons]

16. Wait until November

Then the true American voice will be heard. Personally, I'm optimistic that the voters here will do exactly what was done in Spain. We have a long history of being relatively supportive of a sitting president, even when the electorate is unhappy. They simply wait their turn and then vote out who ever is the current occupant of the White House.

Remember, polls can be distorted. "Experts" were predicting the re-election of the conservative party in Spain, even though the vast majority of people in the country were adamantly against supporting the US in Iraq. Those same 'experts' are the ones saying that shrub will most likely be elected (not re-elected) this time. What a bunch of BS.

There is a 'silent majority' in the United States. Sometimes they are conservative and sometimes they are progressive, but they are always hard to read because they don't say much. I think they have had enough of these crooks and will be heard loud and clear on November 4th. With luck and good governance, we can take back congress and perhaps shove this brand of republicanism into political Siberia.

[DinahMoeHum]

4. When your foreign policy is based on the phrase "f**k you". . .

what the hell do you expect?

:evilfrown:

[bif]

5. Feel the hate George!

Thanks. The whole world now hate us.

[Barkley]

14. It took Bush less than 3 yrs to squander 9-11 worldwide empathy

The same applies domestically. He had 90+ approval and the goodwill of the American public after 9-11 and Bush squandered that too.

His approval rating is below 50% and falling.

His response to crises (Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Patriot Act, Tax Cuts)
shows he's not qualified to be President!

I'm glad to hear Howard Dean say it here in America.

Dean was right about Saddam's capture not increasing our security.
He's also right about Spain.

Americans don't wanna hear it; but Dean is right!

We need more politicians like him who have backbones.

[TahitiNut]

6. "we are disliked"???

This is reprehensible. The repeated message is that human beings throughout the world distinguish between the government of the United States and the people of the United States. This poll, as well as other polls, says that the world "public had lost confidence in the honesty of the U.S. government and its commitment to democracy", not the people.

Tragically, We the People have become increasingly mythical as the vast majority of Americans increasingly view government as "they" rather than "we." We the People have abdicated responsibiltiy for self-governance in much the manner that Congress has abdicated its Constitutional duty to maintain preeminint control over the military and the war powers of this nation.

[carolinayellowdog]

11. A distinction that seems to elude most Americans

According to a Canadian friend of mine who has lived in the US for several years, constructions like "We invaded Iraq" are peculiarly American. He says that where Canadians would say "The government did so-and-so" or "the military..." Americans routinely say "we." He has caught me doing it, using "we" to refer to actions that I hate and oppose, yet still taking responsibility for them via the first person plural. This has some unsettling implications about our susceptibility to a circle-the-wagons mentality, feeling that "they" dislike "us" rather than that the government we hate is hated around the world.

[Jacobin]

7. Only in the past two years have I ever heard of

anyone trying to disguise themselves as Candadians or British when going overseas.

NEVER have I heard anyone having to do that before the 2000 coup d'etat.

[Bandit]

15. 1970 Many Americans had Canadian flags on their backpacks because

Canadians were treated much better by the Europeans than Americans were. Americans at that time were not well received either. Think Nixon. I was one of those Americans in Europe at the time.

[hatrack]

8. Don't worry! Nothing that a good old-fashioned PR campaign won't fix!

"Yeah, we'll put on some TV shows and distribute some videos and radio programs, and that'll make everyone like us again."

At least, that seems to be the approach to date with ChimpCo.

[struggle4progress]

12. Friends cost less than enemies.

"We know everything, we don't care what you think, and we're always right."

Sounds like *'s crowd bought mail-order diplomatic credentials from Archie Bunker U