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| International |
| A vote of trust in bin Laden |
| 2003-06-04 |
| PARIS: With distrust of world leaders great, and apparently growing greater, the Pew Global Attitudes Project decided to ask respondents to its latest poll whom they actually do trust in international relations. This should be good. The poll yielded some surprising results. Respondents were read a list of 10 political leaders and asked how much confidence they had in each - a lot, some, not too much or none at all - "to do the right thing regarding world affairs." According to the survey:
Unsettling? Yes. Surprising? No.. The Al Qaeda leader was chosen as one of the three men most trusted to do the right thing in world affairs by the people of Indonesia, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan and the Palestinian Authority. **Yawn** Any NEW information? Interpreting these results is tricky, but there can be no doubt that the high rating given to bin Laden - who may not even be alive - is a powerful signal of the enmity felt in parts of the Islamic world toward the United States. No, it's a powerful signal that Islam is rotten to the core and that it's NOT TRUE that a few "extremists" have hi-jacked the "Religion of Peace™". As Steven Simon, an analyst of Islamic affairs at the Rand Corporation, commented: "Of all these Muslim leaders, which one has stood up to the United States?" Transaltion: "Of all these Muslim leaders, which has killed more infidels in one fell swoop?" Another signal is the high rating scored by Chirac, whose confrontation with the United States over the Iraq war won him respect in many places. It wouldn't have anything to do with the rapid Shari'ahization that he is cheerfully welcoming in France, would it? Chirac tied with Annan at the top of the ratings. Each was one of the three men most trusted by 11 of the 21 populations polled. The French leader came in first in four places: Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco and Germany. It ain't called "appeasement" for nothing. Although Annan scored well overall, the dented credibility of the United Nations is also visible in the results. Pluralities in 10 of the 21 populations polled - Brazil, Russia, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Israel and the Palestinian Authority - had not much or no confidence in the secretary-general. Join the club. In Indonesia, for example, Annan's ability to do the right thing internationally was rated lower than that of Yasser Arafat, the Palestine Liberation Organization leader, Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia or bin Laden. Ouch! Sorry Kofi, word must have gotten around about Rwanda. The Saudi ruler, whose government faced U.S. accusations of inadequate action against terrorism after the recent suicide bombings in Riyadh, was one of the three men most trusted by five populations: Indonesia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan and Turkey. That put Abdullah just behind Bush, who was among the three most trusted leaders in Australia, Canada, Israel, Kuwait, Nigeria and the United States. Nigeria? Rated more highly was Blair, who was one of the three most trusted leaders in nine countries: Kuwait, Nigeria, Canada, Britain, Italy, Australia, Israel, South Korea and the United States. Arafat was rated in the top three in five places: Indonesia, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Turkey and Pakistan. Jordanians massively disavowed the PLO leader, with 75 percent professing little or no confidence in him. What up, Jordan? You're not kickin' it with your main terror man? Ranking behind Arafat were Putin, who made the top three in Canada, Britain, Germany and Russia, and Schroeder, who was chosen among the top three in Spain, Brazil, Russia and France. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel was among the top three in only the United States and Israel itself, where his confidence rating was lower than that of Bush or Blair. Sharon is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Middle East... |
| Posted by:Celissa |
| #3 Couple things. Do I believe the Pew people? Grain of salt. But anyone can see the strong feelings. But what are these people hearing? Like that french guy the other day saying he wasn't surprised at the anti-american attitude most french have, given the amount of anti-americanism in their press. We've seen that the truth really doesn't factor into Al-Jazeera's reporting. I think maybe the arab press bears as much responsibility for inciting murderous attitudes as the preachers do. That press carries their message. Jihadi imams would be local phenomenons without the wider coverage. Maybe it's time to enlarge the target package. |
| Posted by: Scott 2003-06-04 19:04:03 |
| #2 Interpreting these results is tricky hahahahahaha |
| Posted by: JP 2003-06-04 15:22:49 |
| #1 Kind of a reminder that half the people in the world have 2-digit IQs, isn't it? |
| Posted by: Fred 2003-06-04 10:59:38 |