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Opinion of us abroad is falling { March 17 2004 }

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   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64388-2004Mar16.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64388-2004Mar16.html

Opinion of U.S. Abroad Is Falling, Survey Finds
Majorities Doubt War in Iraq Is Quelling Terrorism

By Dana Milbank
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 17, 2004; Page A22


A year after the invasion of Iraq, anti-American views have hardened in Europe and in Muslim countries, where lopsided majorities oppose President Bush and are suspicious of U.S. motives, according to a new nine-country opinion poll.

The survey, the largest of its kind, found slipping support for the U.S. war on terrorism in Europe and negative views of the United States in all foreign countries polled except Britain. Big majorities said that the United States does not consider other countries' interests and that Europe should develop more diplomatic and military independence.

Majorities in seven of the eight foreign countries said the war in Iraq hurt or had no effect on the war on terrorism, and only in the United States did a majority believe that the ouster of Saddam Hussein will make the Middle East more democratic.

The nonpartisan Pew Research Center, which conducted the survey, said the image of the United States in the world has never polled lower. "This poll says to me the discontent with America is a long-term problem that U.S. leaders have to confront," said poll director Andrew Kohut. "We've never seen ratings as low as this for America." The Pew poll is three years old, and Kohut has been conducting similar surveys in Europe for two decades.

The findings add fuel to an argument over the United States' standing in the world sparked by last week's bombings in Madrid and the subsequent election of a new Spanish government that is reconsidering that country's presence in Iraq. The issue has gained prominence in the presidential campaign since Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) said last week that many foreign leaders hope he defeats Bush.

Bush urged allies yesterday to remain devoted to the fight against terrorism despite the defeat of a Spanish government partly because of its support of U.S. policy. Terrorists will "never shake the will of the United States," he said in an Oval Office meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende. Bush said, "It's essential that the free world remain strong and resolute and determined."

The president urged free societies such as the Netherlands -- where the public also supports a withdrawal from Iraq -- "to remain side by side with the Iraqi people." But Balkenende said no decision had been made on whether to leave Dutch troops in Iraq.

The administration continued yesterday to deride Kerry's statement of foreign support and his refusal to name the leaders who professed support. "If you're going to make an accusation in the course of a presidential campaign, you ought to back it up with facts," Bush said.

Vice President Cheney, at a fundraiser yesterday, hinted that Kerry's claim was disloyal. "We are the ones who get to determine the outcome of this election, not unnamed foreign leaders," he said.

In response, former Vermont governor Howard Dean, Kerry's onetime rival for the Democratic nomination, defended the refusal to identify the foreign leaders, saying, "This administration would clearly make their lives difficult."

The dispute is part of a broader split between the two parties over foreign policy. Democrats accuse the Bush administration of squandering goodwill toward the United States, while the Bush administration says Democrats would surrender American sovereignty to the United Nations. Cheney, in another swipe apparently intended for Kerry, has been praising the administration's decision to act in Iraq without support from the United Nations. "The United States will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country," he said.

The Pew poll, conducted before the Madrid bombings, showed that Americans are increasingly inclined to agree with Cheney's criticism of the United Nations. But the poll also broadly supported Kerry's charge that foreign opinion -- if not foreign leadership -- is decidedly anti-Bush.

Fifty-five percent of Americans had a favorable view of the United Nations, down from 77 percent in 2001. Public support for the world body was higher in Britain, France, Germany and Russia and lower in the Muslim countries of Turkey, Pakistan, Jordan and Morocco.

At the same time, views of Bush were strikingly low in Europe and the Muslim countries. Only 14 percent of Germans, 15 percent of the French, 28 percent of Russians and 7 percent of Pakistanis viewed Bush favorably. Britons, 39 percent of whom viewed Bush favorably, had the most enthusiastic view among foreigners. The opinions represented a dramatic reversal from 1991, when 75 percent of Germans and 72 percent of Russians had a favorable view of President George H.W. Bush, the current president's father.

Views of the United States were somewhat higher, although Britain was the only country where a majority had a favorable impression. In 2002, Russia, Germany and France had majorities supportive of the United States. Americans themselves continued to be viewed favorably by Britain, France, Germany and Russia but not the Muslim countries.

While Britain and Russia continued to support the U.S. fight against terrorism, support has dropped sharply in France and Germany, where 50 percent and 55 percent, respectively, favor U.S. anti-terrorism efforts. Support in the Muslim world has improved but remains low.

Pluralities in all countries but Britain said the United States is not sincere in its anti-terrorism fight, while pluralities in all foreign countries said that they had less trust in America as a result of the war in Iraq. Majorities in many countries said the true reason for the war on terrorism is to control Middle Eastern oil and to dominate the world.

Ominously, the poll showed some increased support in Muslim countries for suicide bombings and other forms of violence; 82 percent of Jordanians, 40 percent of Moroccans, 41 percent of Pakistanis and 15 percent of Turks said such violence could be justified. Majorities in Pakistan and Jordan had favorable views of Osama bin Laden, while majorities in Jordan and Morocco said attacks against Americans and Westerners in Iraq are justified.



© 2004 The Washington Post Company



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