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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
U.S. Greatest Threat to World, Europeans Say
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - At least three-in-ten people in four European countries believe the United States represents a greater threat to global stability than countries like Iran or North Korea, according to a poll by Harris Interactive published in the Financial Times. 46 per cent of respondents in Spain, 32 per cent in Germany, 31 per cent in France, and 30 per cent in Britain feel this way.
In Italy, China is first with 26 per cent, followed by Iran with 22 per cent, and the U.S. with 21 per cent. American respondents placed North Korea at the top of the list with 25 percent, followed by Iran with 23 per cent, and China with 20 per cent.
The U.S. is currently engaged in two major military operations abroad. Afghanistan is the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.
At least 602 soldiers—including 401 Americans—have died in the war on terrorism, either in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The second front is the war in Iraq, which started with the U.S.-led coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime launched in March 2003. At least 3,545 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 26,100 troops have been wounded in action.
On Jun. 21, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated his country's opposition to the installation of a U.S. missile defence shield in Eastern Europe, saying, "I know many people in Europe who are rightfully concerned about the negative consequences of a U.S. national missile-defence system in Europe for the process of global disarmament."
Polling Data
Which one, if any, of the following countries do you think is the greatest threat to global stability?
BRI | FRA | ITA | ESP | GER | USA | |
United States | 30% | 31% | 21% | 46% | 32% | 11% |
Iran | 13% | 20% | 22% | 14% | 15% | 23% |
Iraq | 12% | 10% | 11% | 10% | 12% | 10% |
China | 16% | 22% | 26% | 12% | 18% | 20% |
North Korea | 14% | 7% | 9% | 7% | 7% | 25% |
Russia | 6% | 5% | 5% | 2% | 8% | 3% |
Israel | -- | -- | -- | 1% | -- | -- |
None | 8% | 5% | 5% | 6% | 8% | 6% |
Source: Harris Interactive / Financial Times
Methodology: Online interviews with 6,169 adults in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United States, conducted from May 31 to Jun. 12, 2007. Margin of error for individual countries is 3 per cent.
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