The childish, self-absorbed Europeans have already forgotten that they themselves bypassed the UN just 4 short years ago to wage war on Serbia at French President Chirac's urging...
Posted on 09/03/2003 8:20:30 PM PDT by Pubbie
LONDON, Sept. 3 -- European disapproval of U.S. foreign policy has soared during the past year, with strong majorities in France, Germany, Italy and Britain condemning the Bush administration's handling of foreign affairs, while support within the United States for those policies has increased, according to a public opinion survey released today.
The poll, which surveyed a total of 8,000 people on both sides of the Atlantic, also found that large majorities -- 83 percent in the United States and 79 percent in Europe -- agreed that Europeans and Americans have different social and cultural values.
Majorities in six of the seven European countries surveyed, which also included the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal, said they disapproved of the way President Bush was handling international policy. The exception was Poland, where 58 percent of those surveyed supported Bush's policies. Overall, 64 percent of Europeans disapproved, up from 56 percent a year ago.
A similar percentage of Europeans condemned the war in Iraq as not worth the loss of life and other associated costs, while 55 percent of Americans said it was worth it. Just 45 percent of Europeans believe that it is desirable for the United States to exert strong leadership in world affairs, down from 64 percent a year ago.
The results capped a traumatic year for U.S.-European relations in which the leaders of France, Germany and Russia took a high-profile stance in opposing the U.S.-led campaign against Iraq and thwarted American and British efforts to win a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing military action.
"Americans and Europeans are still friends, but Europeans are more likely to be critical both of Bush administration foreign policy in general, and of the Iraq war in particular," concluded the authors of the survey, which was conducted in June and was sponsored by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a nonprofit group seeking to foster U.S.-European cooperation, and the Compagnia di San Paolo, a private law foundation based in Turin, Italy.
The poll found that Europeans and Americans shared similar views in identifying the biggest threats to global security: international terrorism, North Korea's and Iran's access to weapons of mass destruction , Islamic fundamentalism and the Arab-Israeli conflict. But they sharply disagreed over the use of military force to deal with global threats. About 84 percent of Americans said war may be used to achieve justice, while only 48 percent of Europeans agreed.
And 78 percent of Europeans and 67 percent of Americans said U.S. unilateralism posed a possible international threat over the next 10 years.
Both sides supported strengthening the United Nations, but 57 percent of Americans were prepared to bypass the world organization when vital interests were at stake, while only about 40 percent of Europeans said they would do so.
Craig Kennedy, president of the German Marshall Fund, said the results suggested that European anger, while focused on the Bush administration, went deeper. "There is a Bush style that really does drive Europeans up a wall," Kennedy said. "But would it go away if a Democrat took over the White House tomorrow? Frankly I don't think so. The poll suggests that Bush's policies are pretty well in sync with American public opinion. If you had a Democrat, they would still have to work basically within those kinds of public constraints. The policies that annoy most Europeans would still be there."
The poll reported that Europeans want to see the European Union become a superpower but said they wanted it to cooperate with, rather than compete against, the United States. At the same time, a sizeable majority of Europeans do not want the EU to drastically increase defense spending.
Public opinion in the seven European countries was less favorable toward the United States than it was a year ago, according to the poll, which used a "thermometer index" of 0 (very cold) to 100 (very warm). It found that France had the largest drop in warmth toward the United States -- down from 60 degrees a year ago to 50. The decline was reciprocated across the Atlantic, with a drop from 55 to 45 toward France among Americans.
At the same time, the poll reported, 77 percent of Americans said they wanted their country to be engaged in the world -- a 50-year high.
Even in Britain, where Prime Minister Tony Blair persuaded a reluctant public and House of Commons to participate in the war in Iraq, 57 percent said they disapproved of Bush's foreign policy.
The biggest internal change from last year's survey occurred in Germany, the poll found. A year ago Germans seemed uncertain about their global role and about whether Europe or the United States was their natural partner. That ambiguity has faded, with 82 percent of those surveyed saying that Germany must play an active part in world affairs, and 70 percent believing that the EU should become a superpower --
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
You can always rely on the Slavs (I am one)!
The Poles are worried, but still supportive, and their new international preeminence allows them to enjoy bearding the Krauts and the Russians, a favorite national pastime.
The Krauts have really stepped in it with the calls for a museum of displaced persons in Berlin, meaning, of course, the Germans displaced from Eastern Europe after 1945. They also threatened the Czechs with holding up their EU membership a year ago if they didn't revoke the Benes decress expelling the Sudeten Germans. The Czechs told them to kiss off.
What's your take on Putin's apparent switch to supporting the US on Iraq?
That’s the rub isn’t it. France and Germany want the US to do all the dirty work and pay for it all, but at the same time they think they should be in charge, calling the shots.
They can't understand why the US declines such an offer.
Certainly their news services are venomous and never, repeat, never miss a chance to slam the president.
Do you currently run marathons and qualify for Boston? If so I know a training program that can take significant time off your marathon time and if not then I bet the program can help you qualify for Boston in 6 months. If you don't run at all then depending upon your current physical condition I would be that you could run Boston within 2 to 6 years providing you give the effort. Couch-potato to Boston in 6 years. I think it can be done.
The childish, self-absorbed Europeans have already forgotten that they themselves bypassed the UN just 4 short years ago to wage war on Serbia at French President Chirac's urging...
"Mowimy po Polsku" is a good introduction and has audio tapes - published in Warsaw but available in this country. "First Year Polish" by Oscar Swan (Slavika Publishers) is published in the US and is good. Hugo's "Polish in 3 Months," is a good introduction.
I've been studying Polish and going to Warsaw since 1999 and still make a lot of mistakes, but the Poles really appreciate your learning their language and are very encouraging and helpful.
It's a great country with a great people.
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