The World Prefers Obama’s America
A new international survey by the British Broadcasting Co. reveals that views of the U.S. around the world “improved sharply” during the first year of the Obama presidency, with positive opinion outweighing negative for the first time since 2005, when the BBC first polled this question.
In half of the nations surveyed, positive views of the U.S. had fallen to a record-low average of 28 percent in 2007, from 38 percent in 2005, but began to recover to 35 percent in 2009 and 40 percent this year. Of all 28 countries surveyed—which ranged from Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Italy and Portugal to Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia and China—only six now show a negative view of the United States, with two neutral and 20 favorable.
In a single year, since 2009, upbeat views of the U.S. rose by 21 percent in Germany and 18 percent in Russia; downbeat views dropped by 23 percent in Spain, 14 percent in France and 10 percent in the United Kingdom, with the result that all three lean toward a positive view of the country.
In two of the countries surveyed, more than 50 percent were found to have a negative view of the United States—and those, unsurprisingly, were Pakistan and Turkey, where the war in Afghanistan is probably driving down our reputation. Around the world, however, the upward trend is unmistakable.
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