And then there's this
Sep. 9th, 2004 10:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
windelinaAgain, from Salon:
Last week, War Room reported that more than 80 percent of the citizens of Germany and France favored John Kerry in the November election. A poll released today by the University of Maryland in conjunction with an international survey company called Globescan shows support for Kerry all over the globe. The people of 35 nations favor Kerry by more than a 2-to-1 margin, according to the survey. "Asked how the foreign policy of President Bush has affected their feelings toward the US, in 30 countries a majority or plurality said it made them feel 'worse' about America."
The list of countries that disapprove of how America currently handles its foreign affairs is too long to print in full, and ranges from China to Britain to Argentina to Kazakhstan. Globescan's president notes that "perhaps most sobering for Americans is the strength of the view that US foreign policy is on the wrong track, even in countries contributing troops in Iraq."
Opposition to the Bush administration was not unanimous, however. Should Bush take a long vacation in January, the poll identifies three countries in which he can expect a moderately warm welcome: The Philippines, Poland and Nigeria
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I think this should be sobering to any American citizen.
This is not a poll of global leaders - this is a poll of the people of the world.
Like it or not, we are a part of the world and as Iraq has shown - going it alone doesn't work so well. (Please do not even bother to bring up the "Coalition of the Willing" which should be retitled the "Coalition of Countries willing to take US money but not willing to commit more than a token military force".)
Last week, War Room reported that more than 80 percent of the citizens of Germany and France favored John Kerry in the November election. A poll released today by the University of Maryland in conjunction with an international survey company called Globescan shows support for Kerry all over the globe. The people of 35 nations favor Kerry by more than a 2-to-1 margin, according to the survey. "Asked how the foreign policy of President Bush has affected their feelings toward the US, in 30 countries a majority or plurality said it made them feel 'worse' about America."
The list of countries that disapprove of how America currently handles its foreign affairs is too long to print in full, and ranges from China to Britain to Argentina to Kazakhstan. Globescan's president notes that "perhaps most sobering for Americans is the strength of the view that US foreign policy is on the wrong track, even in countries contributing troops in Iraq."
Opposition to the Bush administration was not unanimous, however. Should Bush take a long vacation in January, the poll identifies three countries in which he can expect a moderately warm welcome: The Philippines, Poland and Nigeria
* * * * *
I think this should be sobering to any American citizen.
This is not a poll of global leaders - this is a poll of the people of the world.
Like it or not, we are a part of the world and as Iraq has shown - going it alone doesn't work so well. (Please do not even bother to bring up the "Coalition of the Willing" which should be retitled the "Coalition of Countries willing to take US money but not willing to commit more than a token military force".)
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Re: The world...
Date: 2004-09-09 11:56 am (UTC)Re: The world...
Date: 2004-09-09 12:46 pm (UTC)We need the rest of the world to buy our stuff. To come visit America and give us their tourist dollars. To join with us in matters of world security.
To believe us when we say there is a problem.
The rest of the world doesn't trust us right now.
Do we need them to LIKE us? No. Do we need them to be willing to work with us? Yes. That willingness is eroding.
And we COULD know about other countries if we bothered to find out. International news is readily available on the internet. Most other countries (especially First World ones) make international news a priority - not so in the US.
To put the shoe on a different foot: what does it say that the rest of the world knows and cares enough to have a definite opinion?
Re: The world...
Date: 2004-09-09 04:49 pm (UTC)Jesting aside, I'm not the world's biggest Star Trek fan but I do believe in the concept of the Prime Directive and Bush broke the Prime Directive when he invaded Iraq. It was not a pre-emptive strike.
The United Nations is a great idea and concept. It needs more power and authority. I think we could have maybe avoided World War II if we as a country believed in Woodrow Wilson's convictions after WWI and joined the League of Nations. Our senate at the time foolishly did not approve that treaty.
Re: The world...
Date: 2004-09-09 05:18 pm (UTC)The UN is filled with countries whose political systems are anything but Democratic. We don't want to ever be under their authority.