3.29.2005
Australians View U.S. as a Threat to Peace (IHT.com)
America lags behind Japan and China in popularity, poll finds
By Raymond Bonner and Donald Greenlees
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
SYDNEY U.S. foreign policy poses as big a threat to world peace as Islamic fundamentalism, while the rise of China is the last on a list of potential threats, according to a survey released Monday of public opinion in Australia, one of Washington's closest allies in the Asia-Pacific.
The results of the comprehensive survey of opinion in a country that has been a close and valued ally of the U.S. in the war on terrorism and the invasion of Iraq have rrorism and the invasion of Iraq have surprised foreign policy analysts in Australia and underscore the problems facing the Bush administration as it tries to improve the international image of the United States.
The survey - the most comprehensive ever conducted on public opinion in Australia on international relations - shows that America trails far behind China and Japan in public popularity. Although 84 percent of Australians had positive views of Japan and 69 percent expressed positive views of China, only 58 percent felt the same way about the United States.
The 53-year-old U.S.-Australia alliance, or ANZUS, is one of Washington's strategic anchors in the Pacific. But the ambivalence of popular opinion in Australia toward the United States shows the difficulty ahead in an administration project in public perceptions.
Australians view U.S. as a threat to peace ¶ 08:58
By Raymond Bonner and Donald Greenlees
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
SYDNEY U.S. foreign policy poses as big a threat to world peace as Islamic fundamentalism, while the rise of China is the last on a list of potential threats, according to a survey released Monday of public opinion in Australia, one of Washington's closest allies in the Asia-Pacific.
The results of the comprehensive survey of opinion in a country that has been a close and valued ally of the U.S. in the war on terrorism and the invasion of Iraq have rrorism and the invasion of Iraq have surprised foreign policy analysts in Australia and underscore the problems facing the Bush administration as it tries to improve the international image of the United States.
The survey - the most comprehensive ever conducted on public opinion in Australia on international relations - shows that America trails far behind China and Japan in public popularity. Although 84 percent of Australians had positive views of Japan and 69 percent expressed positive views of China, only 58 percent felt the same way about the United States.
The 53-year-old U.S.-Australia alliance, or ANZUS, is one of Washington's strategic anchors in the Pacific. But the ambivalence of popular opinion in Australia toward the United States shows the difficulty ahead in an administration project in public perceptions.
Australians view U.S. as a threat to peace ¶ 08:58
