Poll: Germans Believe U.S. a Nation of Warmongers

Reuters ^ | 2/10/2003

[Interloper]

BERLIN (Reuters) - A majority of Germans believe the United States is a nation of warmongers and only six percent think President Bush (news - web sites) is interested in keeping the peace, according to a survey published Monday.

The poll by the respected Forsa institute, published in the Financial Times Deutschland newspaper, also found 97 percent of those questioned believed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) was ready to go to war.

The survey found 57 percent agreed with the statement: "The United States is a nation of warmongers."

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has angered the Bush administration with his outspoken opposition to a war in Iraq, a position that has widespread backing in Germany where six million people were killed during World War II.

Tens of thousands of Germans have taken part in anti-war rallies in recent weeks.

The survey of 1,843 Germans found 93 percent believed Bush was ready to go to war in pursuit of his interests, while 80 percent said the United States wanted war to boost its power.

The poll also found 89 percent believed Schroeder was a "friend of peace."

[bmwcyle]

The glass just shattered and fell to the ground.

[dfwgator]

These creeps didn't mind it when Reagan was calling for the Ruskies to tear down the Berlin Wall

They also didn't mind when 31 US Servicemen lost their lives during the Berlin Airlift.

[dfwgator]

10,000,000 innocent civilians. And at least some were pureblooded Germans. They just happened not to be perfect.

The irony is that Goebbels himself was born with a clubbed foot, which would have made him a candidate for euthanasia according to the Nazis.

[Big Mack]

They should know. Does anybody really give a good crap about Germany or for that matter France?

[uncbuck]

"German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has angered the Bush administration with his outspoken opposition to a war in Iraq, a position that has widespread backing in Germany where six million people were killed during World War II. "

Oh that's right, they took the 12 million gassed out of Germany.

[SevenDaysInMay]

After learning the expensive lessons from Democrats Truman and Johnson on how to waste lives and wreck the national economy, Americans are better at this national defense business than anyone else on earth. We will acclimate to the asymmetrical warfare of terrorism.

This Hundred Years War against Pan-Islam will give Old Europe, or rather Eurabia as it will be called, time to reflect on their smug pacificism while their surviving children reorder the EU cultured society under the Sharia.

Nie wieder oder noch ein mal.

[Michael81Dus]

The Forsa institute is trustworthy. But the question was not if you thought of the US as a "nation of warmongers" but of "America as a warmongerer" - the people or nation were not asked, the opinion about the government was asked. And as you can imagine, President Bush is not very popular by the media (and so by the people). Europeans as a whole don´t like sayings like "The game is over Saddam" - because Europe played the game so often, the whole continent losed...

Sorry, but the survey is probably right. Though, another survey shows that 45% would support logistical or military help for the US, if the UN voted for a new resolution, 53% oppose any help.

[AndrewC]

The survey found 57 percent agreed with the statement: "The United States is a nation of warmongers."

The Germans have a twisted definition of warmonger.

[FeliciaCat]

Helllooooo POT! (hows the kettle?).......

[Michael81Dus]

Obviously, media reports aren´t helpful, either.

[You Dirty Rats]

Actually, Schroeder is from Hanover, Capital of Lower Saxony and original home of the current British Royal Family. That's in the west.

[aculeus]

Well-known "war monger".

[Sockdologer]

The whinemongers are at it again!

[Bikers4Bush]

Odd sentiment coming from the nation that started both world wars.

[hellinahandcart]

But the question was not if you thought of the US as a "nation of warmongers" but of "America as a warmongerer" - the people or nation were not asked, the opinion about the government was asked.

Reuters very frequently gets important details wrong (deliberately, IMO).

Unfortunately, the slightly different wording of the question makes very little difference in essential meaning, since a majority of us are in support of this administration and in favor of deposing Saddam and all his minions.

It just reinforces my earlier conclusion: Europe loved the US President who spent eight years weakening his country, strengthening its enemies, and selling his own citizens down the river---and they hate the President who is trying to repair that incalculable harm and protect his country, and do WHAT IS NECESSARY, regardless of the squawking from nations whose opinions about our actions should be utterly irrelevant.

And the opinions of the brainwashed and misinformed citizenry of those nations should matter even less. This isn't a popularity contest. This is life and death! We choose to prevail and live, and anyone who tries to thwart us in this---whether government or individual---IS an enemy.

[piasa]

Well, find out if your employers are in agreement with this tripe first... they might just be decent Germans who are just as POed as you about what's going on. There are some decent Germans out there, maybe you work for them, maybe not.

[Michael81Dus]

100% agreed.

[STFrancis]

First off - Germany has been taught well that they should not engage in any wars. Now they don't and everyone calls them Nazis... Go figure..

Secondly - Schroeder is the one that doesn't want to get involved at all. The CDU is flabbergasted at his policies and already said they would have already signed up to be on the U.S. side. Now we find out that Schroeder is doing this NO WAR campaign on his own. Joschka Fischer with the Greens and him are screaming at each other because Fischer thinks Schroeder has no clue what he is doing (in which he has got a point). The french now say that Schroeder and them never had a plan for Iraq. Meanwhile Fischer was right when telling Rumsfeld it he had nothing to say about the German/French plan... Cause he didn't know himself. Oh, but the U.S. papers are not reporting those parts...

Actually Reuters is only reporting HALF the story above... Wonder why...??

Just looked at the actual story in German...

The question was asked: Is a politician more worried about keeping the peace OR willing to go to war to defend his interests.
-- Befragt danach, ob ein Politiker eher "auf Erhalt des Friedens bedacht" sei oder "bereit zu einem Krieg, um seine Interessen durchzusetzen"---

That's where Bush got 93%... Anyone disagree with that answer..????

80% didn't say the U.S. wanted to boost it's power BUT the USA saw a war as tool to implement/enforce their power....

57% affirmed the question "are the usa a war mongerer" true or false...

However... this story is so slanted it's not even funny... Story in German if you would like to read for yourself is here: http://ftd.de/pw/de/1044527463015.html?nv=se

Blessings...

[Darlin']

Thank you. You're right. I suppose it was his Maxist youth that I remembered and wrongly associated with East Germany. I'd forgotten that he was a legislator from Lower Saxony.

[americanbychoice]

M<ichael :), many of the things I told you over the last weeks are coming to fruition. Within 1 year, the following may happen if you don't get rid of Schroeder. Germany will be isolated since France will again pull adouble cross and join in a war against Iraq. After that Schroeder, who will never learn will attempt to reiterate his close ties with France. A new Nato will be formed (Atlanti Treaty Organisation ?) leaving Germany, France, Belgium and Greece out of it. Those latter countries will try to get Russian assistance to form their own coalition in opposition to the new alliance.
Does that mean life will get better? I doubt it.
If schroeder would pay as much attention to his country's problems as he does to his Hair, you may get out of it also.
Germany (Industry is already complaining) is about to lose it's biggest export market, the U.S. If Fischer leaves his post because of problems with "The Chancellor" the future will be even bleaker.
Sorry to be such a pessimist, I really would love to see some good signs coming from Germany, I just don't. It is very frustrating.