America Ranked No. 1 Danger To World Peace
36% of Europeans in five countries name America as the No. 1 danger to world peace
Europeans consistently regard the United States as the biggest threat to world stability. A survey carried out in June by Harris Research for the Financial Times shows that 32% of respondents in five European countries regard the United States as a bigger threat than any other state. Yay for us.
In the U.S. itself, North Korea and Iran are seen as the biggest risks. However, the youngest American respondents share the Europeans’ view that the United States is the biggest threat, with 35% of American 16- to 24-year-olds identifying their own country as the chief danger to stability. The latest poll comes in the wake of the “surge” that has increased U.S. forces in Iraq to about 160,000 troops, but has not been accompanied by political breakthroughs or a dramatic reduction of violence.”It is evidence of the continued estrangement between the European public and the Bush administration, in spite of a real improvement in official ties,” said Ron Asmus, head of the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund, which works to bolster transatlantic ties. “It is proof that the next president will be confronted with the major challenge of improving America’s image abroad, starting with Europe and our main allies.”
European poll respondents — who come from Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Britain — are increasingly concerned about China, which 19% perceive as the biggest threat, up from 12% last July. Meanwhile, 17% identify Iran as the biggest threat, 11% Iraq and 9% North Korea.
