September 10, 2006

Abstract: - Many adults in the United States are disappointed with their country's current international reputation, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. 65 per cent of respondents think the U.S. is less respected by other countries these days.

- Many adults in the United States are disappointed with their country's current international reputation, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. 65 per cent of respondents think the U.S. is less respected by other countries these days.

In 2004, a series of pictures depicting the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers appeared in several information sources. A classified U.S. Army report states that some soldiers committed "numerous incidents of criminal abuses" and "grave breaches of international law" at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. Both U.S. president George W. Bush and defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld publicly apologized for the incidents.

In May 2005, a 308-page report by Amnesty International criticized the U.S. government for its handling of prisoners in several detention centres, including one at Guantanamo Bay where more than 400 "enemy combatants"—most of them from Afghanistan—are being held. Former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have urged the federal administration to close the prison.

In June, three Guantanamo prisoners were found hanging from the ceilings inside their cells. U.S. officials described the situation as "the first successful suicides" after repeated attempts. In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the American government should not be allowed to use military tribunals to try any of the detainees currently held at Guantanamo.

On Sept. 7, Bush acknowledged that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operates secret prisons in foreign countries, adding, "Information from the terrorists questioned in this program helped unravel plots and terrorist cells in Europe and in other places. It's helped our allies protect their people from deadly enemies. This program has been, and remains, one of the most vital tools in our war against the terrorists. It is invaluable to America and to our allies."

Polling Data

Compared with the past, would you say the U.S. is more respected by other countries these days, less respected by other countries, or as respected as it has been in the past?

	Aug. 2006	Oct. 2005
More respected	7%	9%
Less respected	65%	66%
As respected	23%	21%
Don't know / Refused	5%	4%

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,506 American adults, conducted from Aug. 9 to Aug. 13, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.