Thursday

28th Mar 2024

Poll confirms US image problem ahead of Obama debut

The United States is viewed favourably by a majority of people in only two of the world's other 21 large economies, an Ipsos/Reuters poll shows, released two days ahead of Barack Obama's inauguration as America's 44th president.

India (72%) and Poland (53%), along with the United States itself (74%), were the only countries where the majority gave America a favourable rating. In Britain and South Korea, the number of US supporters were equal to its critics.

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  • Barack Obama faces a hard start as president, with the US global image at a record low (Photo: barackobama.com)

The nations with the strongest overall negative image of the US were Russia (60%) and Turkey (55%) – historically a strong US ally - followed by Argentina and three EU member states: Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

The online poll of 22,000 people was conducted for Reuters by Ipsos Global Public Affairs, an international market research and polling company, in late November, weeks after Mr Obama was elected to succeed President George W. Bush.

Ipsos polled people in the 22 countries that make up 75 percent of the world's gross domestic product: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States.

The nations surveyed named valuing human rights as the most important factor for a nation to earn respect, followed by respect for its citizens' rights and contributing to international peace and cooperation.

Although the United States earned good reviews for having a high standard of living and contributing to the global economy, those surveyed ranked these issues far lower in importance.

Obama follows Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr.

Meanwhile, in Washington, president-elect Barack Obama will spend his last day before becoming US leader commemorating the figure of Martin Luther King Jr., after a weekend dedicated to president Abraham Lincoln.

Mr Obama is set on Monday (19 January), the day the civil rights leader was born, to take part in a community renovation project in the Washington area commemorating Martin Luther King.

On Sunday, he ended an historical two-day trip retracing the steps of Abraham Lincoln in 1861 as he travelled from Philadelphia to Washington to assume the presidency. Mr Lincoln, Obama's fellow Illinoisan, the country's 16th president, led the nation through its Civil War and ended slavery.

A pop concert was also staged at the Lincoln memorial on Sunday, with famous singers and bands such as Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige and U2.

Between one and two million people are expected to make their way to Washington for the swearing-in ceremony and inaugural parade on Tuesday.

US and EU breaking taboos to restrain Israel

The US abstained and all EU states on the UN Security Council backed a call for an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza, as Europe prepares to also blacklist extremist Israeli settlers.

EU warns Russia over Moscow terror attacks

Europe has warned Russia not to use the weekend's terror attacks in Moscow as a pretext to escalate its war in Ukraine and crackdown on internal dissent.

EU summit risks failing Gaza once again, Ireland warns

Austrians and Czechs might block an EU statement calling for an Israeli ceasefire, Ireland warned, as leaders met in Brussels amid starvation in Gaza. Israel's conduct of the war meant it had "squandered the support they had", Leo Varadkar said.

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