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A damning global judgement on Bush
Last updated at 00:22am on 23.01.07
The vast majority of Britons see America's influence on the world as negative and 81 per cent disapprove of its actions in Iraq, a poll has shown.
The damning verdict of the British public on the Bush administration's handling of some of the world's most crucial issues is backed by the majority of people around the globe, the survey for the BBC reveals.
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• Two-thirds of Americans think Bush is headed down the wrong track
Three out of four people questioned in 25 countries disapproved of the way the U.S. is dealing with Iraq, where more than 100 died yesterday in one of Iraq's bloodiest days this year.
The poll, coming hours before President Bush's annual State of the Union address Tuesday night, found that half of those questioned in all 25 countries believe the U.S. is playing a mainly negative role in the world.
With Tony Blair seen to be so closely entwined with Mr Bush, in particular over Iraq, the findings will make uncomfortable reading in both Downing Street and the White House.
Some 68 per cent of those questioned around the world believe the U.S. military presence in the Middle East provokes more conflict than it prevents and only 17 per cent feel America's presence there is a stabilising force.
In addition to the overwhelming disapproval of U.S. actions in Iraq, 76 per cent of Britons condemned the treatment of detainees in Guantanamo Bay and other prisons, 70 per cent were critical of the U.S. response to the Israel-Hezbollah war in the Lebanon, and 64 per cent disagreed with America's response to Iran's nuclear programme.
Only 33 per cent of Britons saw U.S. influence in the world as mainly positive, 79 per cent disapproved of its approach to global warming and 55 per cent were against the way it handled North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.
More than seven out of ten Britons - 72 per cent - saw the U.S. military presence in the Middle East as "provoking more conflict than it prevents".
Steven Kull, director of the Programme on International Policy Attitudes, which helped conduct the survey, said: "According to world public opinion, these days the U.S. government hardly seems able to do anything right."
The BBC survey came as a poll for Associated Press and AOL-news showed that only 44 per cent of Americans believe Mr Bush to be honest.
The survey was carried out before the weekend when a total of 27 U.S. servicemen were killed in a helicopter crash, clashes with militants and roadside bombs.
The President delivers his State of the Union address tonight, nearly two weeks after he told the nation he is sending 21,500 additional U.S. troops to Iraq in a new effort to end violence there.
Two-thirds of Americans, 66 per cent, think the U.S. is on the wrong track.
It is a stark reversal from mid-January 2002, when 68 per cent said the U.S. was on the right track and 29 per cent said it was not.
Then, the nation was still coming to grips with the 9/11 terrorist strikes four months earlier.
Iraq remains the American public's top concern, with 65 per cent disapproving of Mr Bush's handling of the situation.
Support for sending more troops to Iraq grew slightly after his speech, although the idea is still unpopular.
In a grim reminder of the problems in Iraq, 90 people were killed and more than 170 wounded in two bombings in Baghdad yesterday.
A further 14 died and 40 were wounded when a bomb exploded near Baquba, northeast of Baghdad.
Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki blamed the car bombs on followers of Saddam Hussein, whose botched execution last month angered many among his fellow minority Sunni Arabs.
Reader views (1)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
They've only realised this now? If we had true democracy, and MPs were doing the job they're paid for - listening to their constituencies! - then this would be no surprise! How many years have we all been saying just this? How many people did the government ignore protesting against the war?
- Anna, London, UK
