George Bush's beleaguered foreign policy has been dealt a serious blow as a poll showed that Americans and Europeans reject the US President's pursuit of the "war on terror".
Published: 07 September 2006
George Bush's beleaguered foreign policy has been dealt a serious blow as a poll showed that Americans and Europeans reject the US President's pursuit of the "war on terror".
For the first time in its five-year existence, the Transatlantic Trends opinion poll found that more Americans opposed President Bush's handling of international affairs - 58 per cent - than approved of it - 40 per cent.
The survey, conducted by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, provides a devastating commentary on the failure of President Bush and Tony Blair to convince the public of the merits of the "war on terror".
President Bush's approach has been shown to be increasingly unpopular, despite the fact that citizens on both continents share a growing fear of terrorism. European opposition to US foreign policy has risen over the past five years from 56 per cent to 77 per cent.
Since 2002 the proportion of Europeans who view US leadership in world affairs as desirable has reversed, dropping from 64 per cent positive then, to 37 per cent in yesterday's survey. Among European countries polled, which included France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK, the greatest decline was in Germany - although Europeans distinguish between their views of President Bush and their attitude towards the US.
Craig Kennedy, the president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said: "It's clear from our survey that Americans and Europeans continue to feel strongly about issues that most fundamentally affect our security. And with a majority of Americans for the first time joining Europeans in disapproving of President Bush's handling of international affairs, the US cannot afford to go it alone on global challenges."
The slump in confidence in the White House comes despite the fact that those polled are alarmed by the threat of terrorism. According to the poll, 66 per cent of Europeans regard it as "extremely important" (up from 58 per cent), as do 79 per cent of Americans, up from 72 per cent.
While President Bush's war on terror is failing to convince Americans and Europeans, his policy in the Middle East is having a negative impact in Turkey, the one predominantly Muslim country covered by the poll.
The report saidTurkey had cooled towards the US and Europe but warmed towards Iran. On a 100-point "thermometer" scale, Turkish "warmth" toward the US declined from 28 degrees in 2004 to 20 in 2006.
With the mood souring over talks on Ankara's ambitions to join the EU, Turkish sentiment towards Europe has also dropped from 52 degrees to 45. Over the same period, Turkish warmth toward Iran rose from 34 degrees to 43.
George Bush's beleaguered foreign policy has been dealt a serious blow as a poll showed that Americans and Europeans reject the US President's pursuit of the "war on terror".
For the first time in its five-year existence, the Transatlantic Trends opinion poll found that more Americans opposed President Bush's handling of international affairs - 58 per cent - than approved of it - 40 per cent.
The survey, conducted by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, provides a devastating commentary on the failure of President Bush and Tony Blair to convince the public of the merits of the "war on terror".
President Bush's approach has been shown to be increasingly unpopular, despite the fact that citizens on both continents share a growing fear of terrorism. European opposition to US foreign policy has risen over the past five years from 56 per cent to 77 per cent.
Since 2002 the proportion of Europeans who view US leadership in world affairs as desirable has reversed, dropping from 64 per cent positive then, to 37 per cent in yesterday's survey. Among European countries polled, which included France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK, the greatest decline was in Germany - although Europeans distinguish between their views of President Bush and their attitude towards the US.
Craig Kennedy, the president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said: "It's clear from our survey that Americans and Europeans continue to feel strongly about issues that most fundamentally affect our security. And with a majority of Americans for the first time joining Europeans in disapproving of President Bush's handling of international affairs, the US cannot afford to go it alone on global challenges."
The slump in confidence in the White House comes despite the fact that those polled are alarmed by the threat of terrorism. According to the poll, 66 per cent of Europeans regard it as "extremely important" (up from 58 per cent), as do 79 per cent of Americans, up from 72 per cent.
While President Bush's war on terror is failing to convince Americans and Europeans, his policy in the Middle East is having a negative impact in Turkey, the one predominantly Muslim country covered by the poll.
The report saidTurkey had cooled towards the US and Europe but warmed towards Iran. On a 100-point "thermometer" scale, Turkish "warmth" toward the US declined from 28 degrees in 2004 to 20 in 2006.
With the mood souring over talks on Ankara's ambitions to join the EU, Turkish sentiment towards Europe has also dropped from 52 degrees to 45. Over the same period, Turkish warmth toward Iran rose from 34 degrees to 43.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article1369596.ece
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France rejects "war on terror"
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Replied on (8/Sep/2006)
France issued an implicit criticism of U.S. foreign policy on Thursday, rejecting talk of a "war on terror."
France issued an implicit criticism of U.S. foreign policy on Thursday, rejecting talk of a "war on terror."
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, speaking in parliament, expressed these views on global terrorism, while President Jacques Chirac backed France's claims to the international front rank with a fresh defense of his country's nuclear arsenal.
Villepin noted Chirac's strong opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and said the Arab state had now sunk into violence and was feeding new regional crises.
"Let us not forget that these crises play into the hands of all extremists," the prime minister said in a debate on the Middle East. "We can see this with terrorism, whether it tries to strike inside or outside our frontiers," he added.
"Against terrorism, what's needed is not a war. It is, as France has done for many years, a determined fight based on vigilance at all times and effective cooperation with our partners.
"But we will only end this curse if we also fight against injustice, violence and these crises," he said.
Villepin's remarks, which came a day after U.S. President George Bush admitted that the CIA had interrogated dozens of terrorism suspects in secret foreign locations, did not explicitly mention the United States.
But his rejection of language employed by Bush, who often uses the _expression "war on terror" underlined the longstanding differences between Paris and Washington.
In separate remarks, Chirac stressed that France was committed to maintaining a nuclear arsenal of its own.
"In an uncertain world, facing constantly evolving threats, nuclear dissuasion guarantees our vital interests," Chirac said on a visit to France's Atomic Energy Commission nuclear simulation facility at Bruyeres-le-Chatel near Paris.
He stressed that France was committed to funding continuing research and development into nuclear weapons technology.
"There can be no great ambition without adequate means, that's clear," he said. "The position of countries is never guaranteed. In the 21st century, only those which make science a genuine priority will stay ahead."
Both France and the United States have played down splits opened by the Iraq war, pointing especially to cooperation on attempts by the West to contain Iran's nuclear ambitions.
But differences in tone and style have often resurfaced, notably during the Lebanon crisis, where France initially offered to send just 400 peacekeepers to Lebanon despite vigorously backing calls for an international force.
Villepin's speech in parliament made much of France's leading role in securing a peace agreement in Lebanon backed by the United Nations, which he said had shown the virtues of "listening and dialogue."
"It is the duty of France and Europe to show that the clash of civilizations is not inevitable," he said. "No one retains this wisdom, inherited from our history, as we, French and Europeans, do," he said.
(Additional reporting by Elizabeth Pineau)