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 Poll shows Bush is not the world's favourite
    January 19 2005 at 05:47PM Get IOL on your
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By Michael Holden

London - A majority of people surveyed in a global poll think the re-election of George Bush as US president has made the world more dangerous and many view Americans negatively as well, the BBC said on Wednesday.

The survey by the British broadcaster showed that only three countries - India, the Philippines and Poland - out of 21 polled thought the world was safer after Bush's election win in November.

Bush will be inaugurated for his second term on Thursday.

Anti-Bush sentiment was strongest in Turkey
On average across all countries, 58 percent of the 22,000 surveyed said they believed Bush's re-election made the world more dangerous.

"This is quite a grim picture for the US," said Steven Kull, director of the Programme on International Policy Attitudes at America's University of Maryland.
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The survey found that 56 percent of Americans thought Bush's win was good for the world with 39 percent disagreeing.

Traditional US allies in western Europe, such as Britain (64 percent), France (75 percent), and Germany (77 percent), were among the most negative about Bush's re-election.

A majority in Italy (54 percent) and Australia (61 percent), which both have troops in Iraq, also thought his win had made the world more dangerous.

'Some underlying openness to repairing relations with the US'
Anti-Bush sentiment was strongest in Turkey, with 82 percent thinking his win was bad for peace compared to just 6 percent in support. A large majority in Latin American countries, including 58 percent in close neighbour Mexico, were also negative.

Analysts said the poll had far-reaching implications, suggesting a serious rise in anti-US feeling in general, with 42 percent saying it had made them feel worse about Americans compared to 25 percent who made it think more of them.

There was also overwhelming opposition to sending troops to Iraq, even among close allies such as Britain.

"Fully one in four British citizens say the Bush re-election has made them more opposed to sending troops to Iraq, resulting in a total of 63 per cent now opposed," said Doug Miller, president of GlobeScan which carried out the poll.

"Our research makes very clear that the re-election of President Bush has further isolated America from the world."

The survey found that 47 percent of those questioned now see US influence in the world as largely negative.

"Those saying the US itself is having a clearly negative influence in the world still do not constitute a definitive world-wide majority, suggesting there may be some underlying openness to repairing relations with the US," he said.

The survey was conducted between November 15, 2004 and January 5, 2005.

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