(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - People in three of 13 countries deem it desirable for the United States to play a decisive role in global issues, according to the Transatlantic Trends poll conducted by TNS Opinion with the support of the German Marshall Fund, Compagnia di San Paolo, Fundación BBVA, the Luso-American Foundation and the Tipping Point Foundation. At least 50 per cent of respondents in the Netherlands and Britain want the U.S. to exert strong leadership in world affairs.

In the U.S., 85 per cent of respondents want their country to play a decisive role in global issues. Conversely, a majority of people in Germany, Italy, Portugal, France, Bulgaria, Spain, Slovakia and Turkey think American leadership in world affairs is undesirable.

George W. Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election. His government is currently leading two high-profile military operations abroad: The coalition effort in Iraq and the war on terrorism in Afghanistan.

In his January 2005 inauguration speech, Bush said: "It is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world."

In late August, John Mearsheimer, a renowned professor of political science at the University of Chicago, and Stephen Walt, professor of international affairs at Harvard University and former dean of the Kennedy School of Government, released a book titled "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy." The book criticizes Washington’s unabated support for Israel and blames pro-Israel lobbyists for pushing American foreign policy towards what they think is a wrong direction.

Following the publication of the book, Mearsheimer defended his conclusions and said the U.S. is missing a chance to help bring stability to the Middle East, declaring, "What we really need to make peace between the Israelis and Palestinians is for the United States to act even-handedly. The United States needs to be even-handed and put pressure on both sides."

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How desirable is it that the United States exert strong leadership in world affairs?

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