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| Europe |
| Poll: European Support for U.S. Fading |
| 2003-09-04 |
| After the Iraq war, support for U.S. global leadership has faded badly in European nations, most dramatically in Germany and France which strenuously opposed the war, according to a survey released Thursday. Awwwwh, they don’t like us! President Bush’s standing has just about evaporated in Germany where his approval rating is 16 percent - down from 36 percent in 2002 - and where public opinion increasingly questions American leadership, said the Trans-Atlantic Trends 2003 survey. ``The Germany that never sought to choose between Europe and the United States has now expressed an unambiguous preference for Europe,’’ it said. Your choice, boys, but next time try to go with a winner, eh? The war has made the trans-Atlantic disconnect so significant that large chunks of public opinion in France (70 percent), Germany and Italy (both 50 percent), Portugal (44 percent) now see U.S leadership as undesirable, the poll showed. ``The trans-Atlantic split over the war in Iraq has undermined Americans’ standing with Europeans,’’ it added. Guess I’ll take the little woman to the Grand Canyon next year instead. The survey of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Compagnia di Sao Paolo, a Turin foundation devoted to developing interest in international affairs in Italy was held in mid-June, two months after U.S. troops ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Washington went to war bypassing the United Nations, whose support it failed to win due to European opposition. Don’t forget the Chinese. The Trans-Atlantic Trends 2003 survey found broad support on both sides of the Atlantic to strengthen the United Nations. However, 36 percent of Americans - and only 16 percent of Europeans - say it is all right to bypass the organization to defend vital national interests, the survey found. No problem, next time Europe’s vital interests are threatened, they can coax the Uruguayan soldiers out of their barracks. Great peacekeepers, those Uruguayans. It said that hard on the heels of the Iraq war, Bush’s foreign policies polled only a 30 percent approval rating across Europe, down from 38 percent in 2002. Damned if we do ... In Britain and the Netherlands he fares better than in 2002: 35 percent of Britons approve of his foreign policies (up from 30 percent last year) and 37 percent of the Dutch (up from 28 percent), the survey found. However, Bush’s dismal 16 percent approval in Germany almost matches the tally in France (15 percent, against 21 percent in 2002). Memo To: GWB, POTUSThe American president polled a 40-percent support level in Italy (down from 57 percent), 58 percent in Poland (down from 62 percent) and 41 percent in Portugal which was not polled in 2002, according to the survey. In concert with Bush’s fading stature Why? The USSR is gone. Communism is dead outside of Berkeley and Ann Arbor. Cold War is over. This is expected. The survey consisted of telephone interviews with 1,000 people each in Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal and the United States and face-to-face interviews in Poland. It has a 3-point margin of error. Except in France, where the error rate is 100 percent. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #21 No good deed goes unpunished Paul! They have let us bleed ourselves white assuring their security during the Cold War--and we expect a Thank you? Not likely--now tell me why we still have troops in Germany? |
| Posted by: Not Mike Moore 2003-9-4 11:33:37 PM |
| #20 Ooooooh! Europe doesn't like us anymore. The last time they did anything for us (with the exclusion of the Brits) was..uh..er...uh... hmmmmm.... Well, what have we done for them in the last century. Let's see, WWI, WWII, The Marshall Plan, (Why wasn't anyone bitching back then about how long reconstruction and stability took?), the Cold War, Bosnia/Kosovo, etc.,etc. The only time they don't seem to mind us is when we're giving out free lunches. Let them have a mini-Nato. Let them start exclusively footing the bill and taking charge of "real world ops". Believe me, when they have to foot the bill, the missions to "save the world" will be few and far between. Then we can really see them for the paper tigers that they really are. Look at how pathetic the "ringleader" (France) is. They have a nuclear arsenal and still get NO respect. LMAO!!! |
| Posted by: Paul 2003-9-4 9:15:33 PM |
| #19 Thanks Yank! |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-9-4 8:15:35 PM |
| #18 I don't know the author of the quote about descending fascism. But it's a fairly well-known statement and I assumed it was understood that it was a quote. .com gave me credit for writing it but I didn't mean to plagarize. I shoulda put it in italics and I should've looked up the author at Bartleby's or somewhere. The link to Information Anarchy requires registration so I couldn't see where it came from there. Anybody know who first said it? |
| Posted by: Tokyo Taro 2003-9-4 7:43:14 PM |
| #17 Steve White, the Karl Rove memo was inspired. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-9-4 5:00:56 PM |
| #16 The US...sells weapons Ha! Who has the most gun manufacturers? Europe of course! http://world.guns.ru |
| Posted by: Rafael 2003-9-4 4:53:34 PM |
| #15 Boo Friggin Hoo! This may mean something to Dean, Kerry, or the other Dems, but it means nothing to me. Wait till after the Eropeeons have a couple of terrorists atttacks and lets see how they feel then. France should worry why 10k people just died because of a heat wave. Germany should worry about the rise in neo-nazi and isamists groups. Both are heading towards 3rd world status. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2003-9-4 4:48:25 PM |
| #14 --The trans-Atlantic split over the war in Iraq has undermined Americans’ standing with Europeans,’’ it added.-- OR, "The trans-Atlantic split over the war in Iraq has undermined Eurpeans’ standing with Americans." |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-9-4 2:56:53 PM |
| #13 1)Most of Europe's economy's are sputtering right now. 2)People(esp.elected officials)tend to want to blame others for their problems. 3)It is hard to blame things,easier if you can put a face to your "problem". 4)For the near future only the US is big enough,powerful enough that it can be blamed for everything wrong in world.The US it-exports mindless consumerism,supports Israel,uses too much energy,pollutes too much,sells weapons,supports dictators,uses CIA to control governments,uses CIA to overthrow governments,doesn't give enough food to poor,tries to give unnatural food to world,is home to Wall Street,is home to evil Multi-National Corporations,believes in Capitalism and tries to export its beliefs,tries to make English world language,doesn't respect us,won't listen. Unless some truly charismatic character comes along who can ride Anti-Americanism into command of a multi-nation power,the low opinion of US policies will continue and not mean much. |
| Posted by: Stephen 2003-9-4 2:54:47 PM |
| #12 If things don't change a decade from now Western Europe and Latin America will be tied in importance on the world stage, they will be heading in opposite directions though. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-9-4 1:38:42 PM |
| #11 Willie Brown, aka "Slick Willie", is angling to be ambassador to France should a Dem win the White House. To quote PatheticEarthlings.com, it would raise the integrity of both countries. |
| Posted by: Dishman 2003-9-4 11:18:04 AM |
| #10 Support for the U.S. elsewhere is always highest when we aren't doing anything. Surprise ! If they would just stop DOING things... |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-9-4 10:59:16 AM |
| #9 "Fascism is always descending on America but is somehow always lands in Europe." It's a great line, but it's not a new line... http://www.infoanarchy.org/comments/2001/11/29/145823/97/44/post |
| Posted by: Tom 2003-9-4 10:58:46 AM |
| #8 I think we just found where we can get those extra troops we need in Iraq. I hope Bitburg, Bamburg, Bamholder, Wurzburg, Augsburg, Ramstein, et. al., have a back-up plan for their economy. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-9-4 10:41:36 AM |
| #7 Finally - a place Gray Davis could overachieve: the EU |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-9-4 10:21:37 AM |
| #6 Michael was linked by Instapundit. "United We Stand on the Rest of the World." |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-9-4 10:07:05 AM |
| #5 Tokyo Taro - Fantastic summary. Your closer is an instant all-time classic. Great writing! |
| Posted by: .com 2003-9-4 9:21:17 AM |
| #4 Western Europe: One big circle jerk. |
| Posted by: Ned 2003-9-4 8:47:14 AM |
| #3 Wow. I didn't know there was any support to begin with. After the Iraq war, support for U.S. global leadership has faded badly in European nations US Global Leadership? Wha?? If we're the Global leaders then why didn't they join us to help liberate Iraq? They never thought of us as leaders in the first place. And how exactly does the next "global leader" have any hope if they aren't willing to the hard jobs like fight the war on terror? |
| Posted by: g wiz 2003-9-4 8:47:02 AM |
| #2 Intellectual conformity is a real problem facing Europe (again) and other large swathes of the globe. The bien-pensants have decided they don't like Uncle Sam one bit and the idea of Dubya makes their collective knee jerk harder than a Roberto Carlos free-kick. Legions of professors, students, reporters, editors, authors, directors, actors, chefs, waiters, public servants, union leaders, etc. etc. have all dutifully followed along as they find it easier to spit at America than contemplate the reality of places like Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Gaza, etc. Critical voices are squeezed to the margins as newspapers, TV, magazines, etc. march in lock-step - all while they accuse America of stifling dissent and squelching freedom (Fascism is always descending on America but is somehow always lands in Europe). |
| Posted by: Tokyo Taro 2003-9-4 5:54:04 AM |
| #1 This just in: France and Germany haven't won a war since the end of the Middle Ages. More at ten about how the EU plans to inform the population about this dramatic fact! |
| Posted by: Charles 2003-9-4 2:05:39 AM |