World Perspective on the USA

[uphillklimber]

x

 

[photohikedive]

In many cases it is the same as asking.....
why do Sox fans, hate the Yankees?

 

[Charlie Schuessler]

In many cases it is the same as asking.....
why do Sox fans, hate the Yankees?

Probably the same reason(s) Yankee fans ignore the Red Sox... :wink:

 

[tycho32]

I have traveled around the world and have friends who live in countries from Kuwait to Scotland to Costa Rica. I must say that MOST countries have no problem with the US. In fact how can we reconcile the fact that most countries have the populations trying to leave while ours is the country that people are trying to get into. I have a friend who is in the Coast Guard and he patrols off the coast of Cuba. He and I have talked about this very thing. Most of the reports of countries and peoples hating the US are simply untrue and grossly over "reported". As you can tell I have very little respect for most "media".

 

[Chica]

I lived in Costa Rica last year for four months. At that time, CR and the US were negotiating a free trade agreement which many of my CR friends were opposed to. While they were very friendly to me, they also saw the US as being a bully and taking advantage of them - Costa Rica could join the Central America Free Trade Agreement under terms they didn't really approve of, or they could not join it and disastrously lose the economic benefits of trade with the US. Unfortunately, I haven't kept up with CR economics, so I don't know how they have fared 9 months after ratifying the agreement.
Still, many of my friends also considered the US a land of benevolence and plenty - further showing that rarely are feelings uncomplicated, when considering such an issue.

 

[pedxing]

I think much of the world has as a fairly complex view of America. They see strengths and weaknesses - are charmed by some things and put off by others.

Older people remember that the US were victorious over Japan, Germany and the other Axis allies - yet rebuilt those nations and returned them to their own people. The contrast with the Soviet Union and most other conquerors throughout history was striking - the Soviets held on to Eastern Europe for decades - often sucking out resources, instead of contributing like the US did. One other historic contrast with the Soviet Union is that they declared war on Japan after the A-Bomb was dropped, basically so they could have reason to seize a few disputed Islands before peace was declared. I can't imagine anyone who remembers all that, or even has the chance to read about and understand what happened, can think the US is evil.

Younger people, especially in Arab and Moslem nations see a country - or at least an administration - that is so proud of it's independence that it rejects many treaties and international groups, yet it seems to want to dictate to others and is ready to use its miliatry might around the world to change other nations behavior.

 

[pedxing]

Here are some interesting results (with intereseting links) from a
June 2003 - BBC poll:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2994924.stm
March 2004 Pew Research Poll:
http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=206
Same month but with more focus on opinions Bush: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0304-02.htm

Particularly worrisome is the Zogby poll in June 2004 (I can't find where I read the details, but here is the summary): http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7080-2004Jul22.html

 

[noreaster]

Pedxing thanks for posting. The numbers in the Washington Post article says that we are definitly loosing the war on terror in the middle east. The numbers are heading in the wrong direction. With 200 billion spent on the Iraq war, almost 1000 American dead and we have numbers that look this bad. Very sad I hear the U.S. wants to spend another 100 billion on the Iraq war.

--- Washington Post Aritcle Number ----------
In Zogby's 2002 survey, 76 percent of Egyptians had a negative attitude toward the United States, compared with 98 percent this year. In Morocco, 61 percent viewed the country unfavorably in 2002, but in two years, that number has jumped to 88 percent. In Saudi Arabia, such responses rose from 87 percent in 2002 to 94 percent in June. Attitudes were virtually unchanged in Lebanon but improved slightly in the UAE, from 87 percent who said in 2002 that they disliked the United States to 73 percent this year.