June 8, 2004
CRASH DAVIS RESENTED NUKE LALOOSH TOO:
Global Poll Finds Pessimism, Linked to U.S. Power (Jim Lobe, 6/04/04, IPS)
With the notable exceptions of China and India, a majority of people in 19 key countries are pessimistic about the world's current direction, says a just-released survey, which found a high correlation between that feeling and the belief that U.S. influence is increasingly negative, particularly as compared to Europe. [...]As a region, Europe was the most pessimistic, with only 14 percent of Italian and 15 percent of French respondents saying the global trajectory was positive. Only 19 percent of Turks and 20 percent of Germans agreed, as did 20 percent of Argentines and Uruguayans who, along with the Turks, were consistently the most negative about a range of global issues.
By contrast, 77 percent of Chinese respondents and 51 percent of Indians questioned said they believed the world was improving, while, in general, respondents living in lower-income countries (45 percent) tended to be more positive than their high-income counterparts (28 percent).
On perceptions of the United States, only 37 percent said it was having a positive influence in the world, while 55 percent disagreed. Twelve of the 19 countries had predominantly negative views of U.S. influence, most notably Germany (82 percent), France (74), Argentina and Russia (72) and Turkey (69).
In only four countries were positive views of the U.S. expressed: India (69 percent), Nigeria (56), Brazil (52) and South Africa (51). Two-thirds of U.S. respondents also expressed positive feelings, while in the 19 countries overall, those with the most education tended to be more negative than those with less.
Moreover, views of the United States were found to be the most powerful predictor of how respondents felt about the world's direction, according to PIPA Director Stephen Kull.
Duh? If your country is declining you hate the hyperpower. If it's rising you don't mind us. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 8, 2004 9:24 PM
Have Europeans no shame, no vestigial sense of self-worth ?
Without the US, the Balkan troubles might well have spilled into countries that matter.
France and Germany seemed glad enough when American influence worked on their behalf.
They certainly didn't want to deal with it.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at June 8, 2004 10:54 PMIf they had a sense of self-worth they'd not all be committing suicide.
Posted by: oj at June 8, 2004 11:02 PMOf course the Europeans are pessimistic. They know they don't count for a tinker's damn on the world stage; and when they look into their future, they see nothing but minarets and burkas.
Posted by: Bob at June 8, 2004 11:08 PMHey, if I were constantly reading the mainstream media, and aching to believe it, I'd be depressed too.
Posted by: Barry Meislin at June 9, 2004 4:01 AMI'll take India, Brazil and South Africa over Old Europe and Argentina any day!
Thinking about this article and a previous one about Indian-Americans breaking for Bush, and "connecting the dots"... has Bush pulled off a major foreign-policy coup while noone was lookinn?
Posted by: Ralph Phelan at June 9, 2004 7:05 AMRalph:
The real coup, and it's America's/globalization's, rather than just Bush's, was that we basically determined who the new PM would be in India, even for a historically anti-American party..
Posted by: oj at June 9, 2004 7:24 AMRalph:
I agree. A while back, I was having (many) after dinner drinks with a variety of business people from around the world (Asian, British, Canadian, etc.) and politics reared its head. Finally, I said give me the Brits, Aussies, Indians and Israelis and they could have the rest of the world. Mixed reactions, except from the Indian guy who raised his glass in salutation.
Posted by: at June 9, 2004 9:56 AM