I ALWAYS love this appeal to non-domestic opinion as it almost immediately marks any piece (that is not about specific polls / polling) as a leftward opinion piece. "World Opinion" is such an amorphous beast that it is almost impossible to pin down. Opinions in dictatorial countries from the various "Peoples Republics" to South American Jefe types parrot governmental lines of the day. Even in genuine democracies, an opinion poll captures, at best, a glancing moment of a mostly ill-informed populace far more concerned about their own internal politics and lives.
With the exception of the brief spurt of pro-Americanism in Europe following 09/11/01, the popular press throughout the world is either majority liberal & doctrinaire anti-American or uses NY Times & CNN as sources (ergo: much the same). Thus even an unbiased poll about Bush comes hard aground when the publicized perception / stereotype was of a fascist ultra-right naive overbearing American Cowboy. Bingo, instant World Opinion supporting almost any left-wing domestic policy you care to name!