International poll: The world opposes Bush, except Israel
By Haaretz Staff
Two weeks before the U.S. election, hostility toward President George W. Bush has reached new heights internationally. A joint poll taken by 10 newspapers worldwide reveals that most of those surveyed oppose Bush's policies, want to see him defeated, and paint his influence on the global situation in the gloomiest colors.
Israelis, perhaps not surprisingly, are alone in their support of the American president. While in other countries, 60-80 percent of those asked said they believed the war in Iraq to have been a mistake, in Israel most thought it justified.
While more than half of those polled elsewhere stated their attitude toward the U.S. had deteriorated, most respondents in Israel said their opinion had improved, and 76 percent said the U.S. contributed to peace in the world. Among Israelis polled, 50 percent said they would like to see George Bush reelected, with only 24 percent for Kerry.
The polls were conducted in recent weeks a local newspaper in each country. In Israel, the poll was supervised by Prof. Camille Fuchs, head of the mathematics department of Tel Aviv University.
All poll results were transferred to participating newspapers a week ago and are being published simultaneously today. In addition to Haaretz, participating papers, selected by Canada's La Presse, were France's Le Monde, Great Britain's The Guardian, Asahi Shimbun of Japan, Spain's El Pais, and papers from Russia, Mexico, Australia and S. Korea.
Among the poll's results: Some 60 percent of The Guardian readers are anti-Bush, with hostility to the U.S. president rising to 77 percent among people under 25.
Among Mexicans, 83 percent thought the invasion of Iraq was a mistake. Some 36 percent of Canadians believe the U.S. is not a worthy model for democracy. Among people up to age 40 in S. Korea, 70 percent reported negative attitudes to the U.S. In France, 72 percent said they would like to see Kerry win the election.
