PM – the man ‘to do the right thing’
People around the world have more confidence in the abilities of Prime Minister Tony Blair ‘to do the right thing’ than US counterpart George W. Bush, according to a new poll.
The Pew Research Centre global attitudes survey, conducted between April 28 to May 15, asked some 16,000 people in 20 nations around the world about their stance on world affairs.
It found more Americans ‘trusted’ Mr. Blair (83%) than their own leader (78%).
Mr. Blair, battered on home soil by fresh storms over WMD evidence, Cabinet resignations, the EU constitution and the single currency issue, will welcome the news that Australian and Canadians also trusted him more.
But not so in the UK. The United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan comes out top among Brits.
Mr. Annan was also perceived to be the most trusted leader in Brazil, South Korea, Italy and Spain.
Mr. Bush can take pride in the fact the he was thought to be the most trusted leader in Israel.
But the general consensus in some Muslim countries is that the US and UN are increasingly perceived as untrustworthy, according to the survey.
Unsurprisingly, countries which opposed the US-led war against Iraq – Russia, France and Germany – saw approval ratings fall for Mr. Bush.
Positive support for the US stood at 15% in Turkey and Indonesia, and only 12% in Pakistan.
The most trusted leader in some Muslim countries – namely Indonesia, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan and the Palestinian Authority – was Osama Bin Laden – the head of al-Qaeda terrorist network allegedly responsible for the September 11 atrocities.
He came out top in Palestine.
Madeleine Albright, the former US secretary of state and chairwoman of the Pew project, commenting on the findings said: ‘The figures show that the European public and our public are feeling that the ties that have bound us together for the last 50 years are weakening, and this is very serious.’
And Carroll Doherty, an editor at the Pew center, said the ‘picture is pretty bleak.’
