USA - all love lost

Neither the World Bank nor the US and the United Nations (un) are popular around the world. While there is still some hope of the World Bank being viewed favourably in the international community, the us drastically needs to do something about its image abroad. These were the findings of two separate Washington-based surveys

 
Published: Tuesday 15 July 2003

USA

Neither the World Bank nor the us and the United Nations (un) are popular around the world. While there is still some hope of the World Bank being viewed favourably in the international community, the us drastically needs to do something about its image abroad. These were the findings of two separate Washington-based surveys.

In a survey conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, it was found that the us' image in the international community has hit rock bottom in the last one year. The survey says that the recent war in Iraq has "widened the rift between Americans and west Europeans, further inflamed the Muslim world, softened support for the war on terrorism and weakened global public support for the pillars of the post-world war era, the un and the North Atlantic alliance."

The survey also found that an increasing number of countries were losing confidence in the un, especially after it failed to find a peaceful solution to the Iraq problem.

In another survey conducted by the Princeton Survey Research Associates, it was found that most global opinion leaders thought the World Bank was too arrogant and bureaucratic, especially in Latin America, West Asia and north Africa. On the whole, however, it was found that the Bank's image was improving. The main complaint against the World Bank was that it was too obliged to the us.

World class bully
Global attitudes towards the US 
(per cent in favour)
  1999/2000 Mid 2002 March 2003 Current
Israel - - - 79
UK 83 75 48 70
Kuwait - - - 63
Canada 71 72 - 63
Nigeria 46 77 - 61
Australia - - - 60
Italy 76 70 34 60
South Korea 58 53 - 46
Germany 78 81 25 45
France 62 63 31 43
Spain 50 - 14 38
Russia 37 51 28 36
Brazil 56 52 - 34
Morocco 77 - - 27
Lebanon - 35 - 27
Indonesia 75 61 - 15
Turkey 52 30 12 15
Pakistan 23 10 - 13
Jordan - 26 - 1
Palestinian authority 14 - - 1
Source: The Pew Global Attitudes Project

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