PDA

View Full Version : US poll: Israel alone named 'vital friend'



NewsGuy
02-23-2007, 06:56 PM
This is good!
A Gallup poll surveying US opinion on geopolitics singles out Israel as only foreign nation Americans feel favorably toward and also say that what happens there is vitally important to the US.

Americans remain most favorable towards English-speaking countries ? Canada (92 percent view it as mostly favorable), Australia (89 percent) and Great Britain (also 89 percent). Additional countries the majority of Americans view favorably are Japan (82), India (69), Israel (63), Mexico (60), Egypt (60), Russia (53) percent and Jordan (51).

The country viewed as least-favorable by Americans is Iran (9 percent), followed by North Korea (12), Iraq (15), Palestinian Authority (16), Syria (21), Afghanistan (23), Cuba (25), Pakistan (28), Saudi Arabia (35), Venezuela (41) and China (48).

Ratings of France are now at their highest level since the start of the Iraq war and now stand at 57 percent favorable, up three points from 2006. Prewar levels typically stood at 70 percent. Ratings of Germany have now returned to prewar levels (83 percent).

Relavant and less-relevant enemies

Gallup also examined the perceived importance of foreign nations, stacking this data against the figures pertaining to favorability.

The five countries deemed by Americans as the world's 'hot spots' - nations that a majority of Americans view unfavorably and say that what happens in each is "vitally important" to US interests - are Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, and China.

Countries viewed as 'less relevant enemies' ? unfavorable but not important -- are Pakistan (47 percent), Syria (42), Cuba (31) and Venezuela (29).

Of the countries viewed both favorably and important, only Israel was named, with 55 percent of Americans deeming it a 'vital friend.'

Ynet via Israelinsider (http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Diplomacy/10763.htm)

Gunther
02-26-2007, 06:08 PM
This is good!

Why do you think it is good (I am assuming you support Israel though I could be wrong). According to the pole Americans view israel just three points above Mexico and Egypt. Judging from this pole it looks like support is declining. Over the last decade the minds of the public have changed a lot. People who I knew who were staunch Israel supporters who even advocated driving out the Palestinians are have now exspresed second thoughts. In my opnion I think that because US middle east policy has been in the news a lot so many of the issues that are normaly not discussed and that normally do not concern the agerage citizen are now being discussed. Also do to the Iraq war I think isolationism is taking hold again.

varian
03-04-2007, 09:15 PM
Not that it matters much, but this is one American that will always vote in favor of the country of Israel. I may not care for its governing structure or politicians, but the state of Israel must continue to exist as a viable, thriving entity. IMHO.