Survey: Global dissent for U.S. policies

MELBOURNE, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- A new survey reported in Australia shows there has been an increase globally in opposition to the U.S. role in world affairs, particularly the war in Iraq.

The survey, conducted by The Age newspaper and the World Service of the British Broadcasting Corp, showed 73 percent of the 26,000 persons polled disapproved of the U.S. handling of the Iraqi conflict against an approval rating of 20 percent.

The 25 countries involved in the survey were Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United States.

"These days the U.S. government seems hardly able to do anything right," says Steven Kull of the Program on International Policy Attitudes, which conducted the survey with the polling firm Globescan.

On other issues such as the U.S. treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, 16 percent approved against 67 disapproved.

On the U.S. policy toward global warming, the survey showed 27 percent approval against 56 disapproval and on the U.S. attitude toward Iran's nuclear program 28 percent approval to 60 percent disapproval.

But 30 percent of the people polled approved of the U.S. position on North Korea's nuclear program against 54 percent who disapproved.