Global poll slams Bush leadership

[cal04]

More than half of people surveyed in a BBC World Service poll say the re-election of US President George W Bush has made the world more dangerous. Only three countries - India, Poland and the Philippines - out of 21 polled believed the world was now safer.

The survey found that 47% now viewed US influence in the world as largely negative and such unfavourable feelings extended towards Americans as a whole. None of the countries polled supported contributing their troops to Iraq.

"This is quite a grim picture for the US," said Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA), which carried out the poll with GlobeScan. There may be some underlying openness to repairing relations with the US" On average across all countries, 58% of people - and 16 out of 21 countries polled - said they believed Mr Bush's re-election to the White House made the world more dangerous.


Traditional allies
Most negative feelings were found in Western European, Latin American and Muslim countries. They include traditional US allies such as Germany, France, Britain and Italy as well as neighbours Canada and Mexico. Read key points and see graphs from the World Service poll.
The only European country to buck the trend was Poland, one of the new members of the European Union, which gave the thumbs up to both President Bush and the US. Turkey topped the anti-Bush list, with 82% believing his re-election would be negative for global security.
The result is bad news for the president as Turkey is a US ally and the only Muslim member of Nato, says the BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4185205.stm

[NC_Nurse]

1. Well...

at least SOME people realize what a menace he and his cohorts are....too bad they aren't Americans so they could help us vote his sorry ass out! Rats!

[Cha]

2. India, Poland, and The Phillipines must

have some of the gene pool that's ruining the USA.

[HockeyMom]

4. India

is getting all our jobs. Why wouldn't they want to continue the status quo?

[yardwork]

6. The only people allowed to vote in India are the wealthy and educated

They're the ones benefiting from bushco economics. I imagine the same is true in the Philippines. Have no idea about Poland.

[Cha]

8. I did not know that about India..but

from what I've just read ..it's easy to understand why they would vote with the chimp regime.

[liberalpragmatist]

17. not really - the poor have the highest rates of participation

In India participation decreases as income rises (middle-class voters tend to be more cynical about politics). Turnout was 60% in the last election and poor are the most likely to vote. Moreover, in the last election Indian voters threw out a right-wing coalition in favor of a left-wing one that relies on support by Communist Parties.

I can speak for my Indian relatives - virtually every one of them hates Bush. Then again, my family may not be representative. My guess is that the college-educated middle-class is split between those who are more urban and established and those who are more "new money" and come from more Conservative areas of the country.

However, here's the thing for India - my guess is that huge numbers of people in India don't care. They tend to be quite neutral towards the United States - they loved Clinton for instance, and there's generally a feeling among much of India - especially among the poor and the lower-middle class that they must try to impress America. My guess is most people are pretty neutral to Bush because Indians generally have positive views of America.

Remember too that 30-40% of the population is in heavy poverty - the could care less about the US or who is US president - they care about how to live - how to get medical treatment for their sick child, worried about whether or not the rains will come, worried about trying to get their children educated to escape poverty - they just aren't concerned with what's going on in the rest of the world b/c they can't afford to be.

[Colorado Blue]

19. India's largely Hindu population might see Mr. Bush

as an ally, perhaps in the same way some Israelis do. They've had a long and pointless border war in Kashmir with Muslims and there have been many attacks from Islamic groups within India. Islam and Hinduism and Buddhism haven't always been at odds of course but recently - in India's long history "recently" means a long time:) - there has been great violence.

Plus there's the job thing:)

My theory anyway.

[liberalpragmatist]

22. For some there's definitely some anti-Islam

At the same time, as the same poll showed, Indians aren't really in favor of the war in Iraq.

And as to anti-Muslim feelings, among Indians it's really more anti-Pakistan feelings. India has very close relationships with many gulf states and all the major political parties opposed the war in Iraq. The Indian press is very liberal as well and very opposed to the war.

I really think the reason so many said things were "safer" was because India isn't all that affected by the US and most people are generally apathetic towards US politics - they don't really have a preference and generally see the U.S. favorably.

Jobs is an issue too, but even that isn't a really big thing for most Indians - maybe 2 to 3% of the population and there weren't really fears that Kerry would take that away. Besides, the question was, will Bush's reelection make the world safer - something that isn't really related to outsourcing.

[Bhaisahab]

23. On the contrary

EVERYONE is allowed to vote in india, but only the poor vote. middle class and educated people like me rarely vote. the bbc survey must have spoken to educated folks, who are pretty dumb when it comes to comprehending international geopolitics.
educated classes in india dont think of bush as evil, only as a moron.
these classes believe in America as an ideal, and are very reluctant to see that ideal shattered. hence the unflinching faith in america (NOT neccessarily bush).
for what it counts, i think bush is the most dangerous person in the world right now. and my educated countrymen and women will realize that when its too late.

[Chico Man]

32. They appreciate our hazardous computer waste

Millions of pounds of used electronics are shipped to countries like China and India, where workers strip them by hand of their metal and plastic. A woman sorts wire in Guiya, China.

http://www.npr.org/programs/watc/features/2002/apr/computers/

[Rose Siding]

3. Didn't they hear the powerful Democrat, Joe Biden?

Get over it Europe! :eyes:

[Cha]

5. biden said that? I would think a

repug would say it..but a dem? Jeeze!

I hope Europe "gets over it" by becoming a Superpower and a force to contend with.

[VegasWolf]

7. India, Poland, and the Phillipines are getting the brunt of our

outsourced jobs.

[NYC]

9. Poland, too?

I hadn't heard that outsourced jobs were going to Poland.

I spoke to someone in Bangalore, India about the outsourced job he had received. He was doing "okay", not well.

Shortly thereafter, I spoke to someone in the Philippines. His pay was US$4 a day.

[dflprincess]

11. Poland is just happy that

Bush didn't forget them.

[NYC]

12. I think "Don't forget Poland"

is like "Remember the Maine".

Just one of those slogans.

[cvoogt]

10. Umm, Turkey is Muslim?

I thought it was a secular state. The BBC should have said it is a state with a majority Muslim population. Yeah, like the US and western Europe are Christian, I guess. At least they didn't forget Poland !

American tourists better wear their anti-Bush shirts or learn a second language. These are not good time to be an American abroad. Many people now ASSUME you are for everything Bush has done just because he got re-elected. This has been my experience in Holland.

[NYC]

13. A friend of mine got quite a bit of flack in Holland

and not just from the Dutch. One of the most difficult confrontations was with an Irish woman in Holland.

She didn't vote for Bush, but she could stand to have her eyes opened. I'm not sorry they gave her a hard time.

[Just Me]

14. SO!!!!! WE DON'T GIVE A SHIT /sarcasm off/

Funny how the Bush regime pushes the "feel-so-soft" economy and outsourcing thing (which further empowers the financially powerful),...but rejects and rationalizes its heartless spending of human lives and worth, while simultaneously demeaning and taking advantage of principled/ethical global HUMAN compassion.

The only way to avoid hating this "humanity-destructive machine" is accepting that,..."they" are more ignorant than those they lead,...and as desperate for power as those who are the least among us all.

[LynnTheDem]

15. such unfavourable feelings extended towards Americans as a whole

There's a first. Gee, well done, bush. You've managed to do something that no American has ever done before; made the world hate ALL Americans because of the actions of one cartel.

[bluestateguy]

16. Link to the poll

http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/BBCworldpoll/html/more_01_19_05.html#1

[54anickel]

18. Good grief! Those graphs look far worse than that text in the article

stating "47% now viewed US influence in the world as largely negative..."

And that final paragraph in the article - I mean yeah, sure, 47% isn't a majority, but those graphs! :wtf:

But Mr Kull says the results do not constitute a definitive world-wide majority, "suggesting there may be some underlying openness to repairing relations with the US".

[sakabatou]

20. Do the Freeptards still think the world is with us?

[wabeewoman]

21. Well if my freeper brother is any indication

only if they are for us do they count. He was really interested in what our foreign students thought of the US until he heard they hated bush and had protested the war. Then they become person non gratia like the French. If you actually listen to what people say, it might change your mind and we can't have that!

[lovuian]

24. A friend of mine came back from Europe yesterday

the Anti Bush sentiment is horrible and not its spread to Anti Americanism!!!

Bush has made it harder for everybody traveling overseas!!!

[The_Casual_Observer]

25. With the "election" the US citizens appear to be complicit

whereas before, bush appeared to have been a mistake thrust on an unwitting populace.

[struggle4progress]

26. kick

[SittingBull]

27. The world doesn't know

that the american people don't elect this president...

Because the election was stolen.
And therefor they make the people responsible.
But the number of people with doubts grows steady!
I know that you're not responsible and I'm proud of your fight!


I'll meet with a speaker for german media-agency dpa next week, I'll send him all the material that the Corporate Media ignore so far.
And ask him, how that can be true, even as members of congress make a investigation!

[neweurope]

28. That is GREAT! I suggested some while ago that you contact

the foreign media directly. I sure hope they'll publish some of this! So far they've been speaking a lot about "conspiracy theories" over here :( I hope you'll be successful!

---------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[primavera]

29. Guardian article on this topic

World fears new Bush era
Blair urges more consensual US approach as poll shows unease in 18 out of 21 nations

Ewen MacAskill, diplomatic editor
Thursday January 20, 2005
The Guardian

George Bush will be sworn in as president of the United States for a second term today in a lavish Washington ceremony, amid mounting international concern that his new administration will make the world a more dangerous place.

A poll of 21 countries published yesterday - reflecting opinion in Africa, Latin America, North America, Asia and Europe - showed that a clear majority have grave fears about the next four years.

Fifty-eight per cent of the 22,000 who took part in the poll, commissioned by the BBC World Service, said they expected Mr Bush to have a negative impact on peace and security, compared with only 26% who considered him a positive force.

The survey also indicated for the first time that dislike of Mr Bush is translating into a dislike of Americans in general.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1394393,00.html

[Southpaw Bookworm]

31. So when do they invade?

To free us from this megalomaniac dictator?

[0007]

30. Can 'ya say that Inida is kissing ass?

All three counties need help and money, don't they?

[Chico Man]

33. India needs jobs

Which, I guess, translates to money.