Special to CNN

The pace of change in the Middle East – in Syria, Egypt, Palestine and Israel – is accelerating as 2012 draws to a close. And the centripetal force generated by these developments threatens to draw the United States ever deeper into the region. But as the Obama administration considers what role the United States can and should play there in the months ahead, the White House faces a political dilemma at home. The American people are not paying attention and are deeply skeptical of greater U.S. engagement in a corner of the world that looks increasingly unstable.

The spreading turmoil in the Middle East in the wake of the Arab Spring has soured American attitudes toward the region’s prospects and has not increased Americans’ appetites for greater U.S. involvement there.

In April 2011, not long after the fall of the autocratic Tunisian and Egyptian governments, the American public was divided over whether such changes in political leadership would lead to lasting improvements for people living in those countries, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

By October 2012 a majority (57 percent) were convinced that the Arab Spring would not lead to a long-term change for the better. Possibly disillusioned with what they had seen transpire in Cairo, Tunis and elsewhere, just over half of Americans preferred stable governments in the region, even if that meant less democracy (so much for president Obama’s May 2011 commitment “to promote reform across the region, and to support transitions to democracy.”). And almost two-thirds thought Washington should be less involved in leadership changes in the Middle East.

The civil war in Syria has claimed tens of thousands of lives, the conflict appears to be worsening and there is growing concern in official circles in Washington that the Syrian government may use chemical weapons against its own people. But less than half the American public is paying much attention. Only 38 percent said they were following the political violence in Syria closely in early December, according to a Pew Research Center poll.

This may help explain why recent polls show that the American public has no appetite for U.S. intervention in that war-torn country. More than three-in-five Americans say the United States does not have a responsibility to do something about the fighting in Syria, according to an early December Pew Research Center survey. And 65 percent oppose arming anti-government rebels in Syria. Such sentiments remain unchanged since the Spring of 2012. Notably, there is no partisan difference on aiding the foes of the Assad regime.

And even the recent fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza has not roused much American interest. Only 49 percent of the U.S. public were closely following news of renewed violence between Israel and Palestine in mid-November. And an early October Pew survey found only a quarter of Americans wanted to increase support for Israel.

But Americans’ sentiments still lie with the Israelis. Half say they sympathize with Israel, only 10 percent sympathize more with the Palestinians.

Yet partisan politics could complicate future American action with regard to Israel in its dealings with the Palestinians. Only 33 percent of liberal Democrats sympathize with Israel more than the Palestinians, while 75 percent of conservative Republicans side with Israel.

Events on the ground in the Middle East may soon force decisions in Washington about a new degree of American engagement in the region. Whatever the Obama administration decides, the public’s views are clear. They would prefer to sit this one out.

Much of the world cheered the November 6 re-election of U.S. president Barack Obama. But the president’s honeymoon may be short lived. Disappointment with Obama’s first term foreign policy may challenge both his popularity and his ability to present a positive image of the United States around the globe.

Prior to the election, overwhelming majorities in Western Europe, Japan and Brazil supported Obama’s reelection. But they were upset with signature elements of his foreign policy. In particular, a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project earlier this year found widespread opposition to drone strikes, a cornerstone of the Obama administration’s anti-terrorism policy, and many believe the president hasn’t sought international approval before using military force, as they expected he would when he first took office. In addition, publics around the globe say Obama failed to meet their expectations that he would tackle climate change and take an even-handed approach to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Four years ago, Obama came to office with the world behind him, reversing a decade-long trend of negative opinions of the U.S.  Between 2008 and 2009, the percentage of Germans, French, Spanish and Indonesians expressing positive views of the U.S. increased by at least 25 percentage points, and double-digit increases were also evident in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Britain, India and Nigeria.  Even in some Muslim countries, where Obama has never enjoyed broad popularity, the image of the U.S. saw modest improvements in Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon when Obama was first elected.

But clouds loom on the horizon, as overall approval of Obama’s international policies and confidence in the American president have declined around the globe since 2009. Among Obama’s biggest problems is his administration’s drone campaign against extremist leaders and organizations.  Majorities in virtually every country surveyed in 2012 oppose this policy, which is a key component of American anti-terrorism efforts.  Opposition is especially prevalent in Muslim countries – at least eight-in-ten in Egypt, Jordan and Turkey are against drone strikes – but about three-quarters in Spain, Japan, Mexico and Brazil are also against drones, as are 63% in France and 59% in Germany.

Obama is now confronted with a sense of disappointment over unmet expectations during his first term, especially when it comes to his handling of global climate change, and especially in Western Europe.  In 2009, large majorities in France, Germany, Britain and Spain believed Obama would take significant measures to control climate change. By Spring 2012, however, fewer than three-in-ten in these countries said Obama had, in fact, done this.  Significant gaps between expectations and evaluations of Obama’s performance on climate change were also evident in Poland, Russia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, China, Japan, and Mexico.

In Western Europe, Obama also failed to meet expectations on his handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although 61% in Germany, 57% in France, and nearly half in Britain still believed Obama had been fair in dealing with both sides in the Spring 2012, as many as 79% in each of these three countries said they expected Obama to be even-handed on this issue at the beginning of this first term.

In most of the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed, where expectations that Obama would be fair in dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were already low in 2009, even fewer said the American president had handled the conflict fairly. For example, after Obama took office, about a quarter of Egyptians believed he would be fair, compared with 11% who said Obama had been fair in 2012. Double-digit gaps between expectations and evaluations were also evident in Turkey and Pakistan.

More generally, many publics around the globe are disappointed with Obama’s approach to foreign affairs. Shortly after Obama took office, majorities in Britain, France and Germany, and at least four-in-ten in Spain, Poland, Russia, Japan and Mexico, expected Obama to act multilaterally when making international policy decisions. In the Spring 2012 survey, the percentage in these countries that said the president had, in fact, done this had dropped by 14 percentage points or more.

Similarly, in most countries, fewer said Obama had sought international approval before using military force than said they expected him to do so in 2009. Disillusionment with the president on this issue is especially common in Spain, Germany, Egypt and Japan, where the gap between expectations and evaluations is larger than 20 percentage points.

But despite some disappointment with Obama and a decline in the president’s popularity in some parts of the world, large majorities in Western Europe, Japan and Brazil continued to express confidence in the American president to do the right thing in world affairs in the Spring 2012 survey. And America’s image, which had declined dramatically during the Bush presidency, remained largely positive three years into Obama’s tenure.

A reelection is a time for renewal. And Obama has much support from the global community to build upon. Whether he continues to enjoy that good will, however, may hinge on how he approaches issues like drone strikes, climate change and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the extent to which he reaches out to the rest of the world in his second term.

While many still hold Obama in high regard, general confidence in his foreign policy leadership has slipped by six percentage points or more in most countries since 2009.

Moreover, on a number of specific policy issues, Obama has failed to live up to expectations. In 2009, many around the world anticipated that Obama would consider their country’s interests when making policy, seek international approval before using military force, act fairly when dealing with the Israelis and Palestinians, and take significant steps on climate change. Today, considerably fewer think he has actually done these things.

Obama gets somewhat better marks for his handling of the global economic crisis, especially in financially troubled Europe (although the Greeks are an exception). And although reviews for Obama are generally less positive than when he first took office, at least a plurality in most countries would like to see him re-elected.

Overall Confidence in Obama

In 11 of the 21 countries surveyed, people, on balance, continue to have confidence in Obama to do the right thing in world affairs. In eight countries, a majority or plurality expresses a lack of confidence, and in two, opinions are essentially divided. Confidence in Obama in almost all countries is, however, markedly greater than it was for President Bush in 2008.

Solid majorities in most European Union countries continue to express a positive view of Obama, including seven-in-ten or more in Germany, France, Britain, the Czech Republic and Italy. His ratings are somewhat lower in Spain and Poland, where confidence has slipped by double-digits since 2009.

In Greece, views of him are much more dismal than in other EU countries – just three-in-ten express confidence, while 68% lack confidence.

Respondents in predominantly Muslim countries continue to have a low opinion of Obama, and the American leader’s ratings have slipped significantly since 2009 in the five Muslim nations where trends are available, including a 13 percentage point drop in Egypt.

Confidence in Obama is somewhat higher in Lebanon. There are, however, large divisions among the country’s three major religious groups. While 51% of Lebanese Christians and 50% of Sunni Muslims express confidence, just 12% of Shia Muslims agree.

Large majorities in Japan and Brazil have confidence in Obama’s foreign affairs leadership, as do most Americans.

Attitudes toward the U.S. president are almost evenly divided in China and Mexico. In both nations, Obama’s ratings have declined significantly since his first year in office, falling 24 points in China and 13 in Mexico.

Russians generally lack confidence in the American president, with just 36% saying Obama has their trust and 44% saying he does not. In India, 41% say they have confidence in Obama, though many do not offer an opinion.

Despite decreasing confidence in Obama, he is still more highly rated than President Bush was during his last year in office. Obama’s reviews continue to be especially high relative to Bush’s in Europe and the U.S. The only country among those surveyed in both 2008 and 2012 where confidence in Obama is on par with Bush is Pakistan, where both men have received consistently poor ratings.

Obama’s Handling of the Global Economy

In 11 of 21 countries, ratings of Obama’s handling of the global economic crisis are on balance positive. As with other attitudes toward Obama, approval is highest in Europe, Japan and Brazil. Greece continues to be the exception in Europe – a majority (60%) rates Obama negatively on his approach to the economy. Publics in Russia, China and predominantly Muslim countries all give the U.S. leader poor economic reviews.

Obama’s ratings on the economy are generally unchanged since last year, although they have slipped somewhat in Japan (-12 percentage points) and Russia (-10).

Unmet Expectations: Multilateralism

While many around the world still have a positive image of Obama, he has nonetheless failed to meet expectations on specific policies. For instance, in 2009, many publics anticipated that the U.S. leader would consider their country’s interests when making foreign policy decisions and would seek international approval before using military force. Today, relatively few believe Obama has done either.

Roughly two-thirds of Americans (66%) think Obama has considered other countries’ interests when making policy decisions over the past three years, but few around the world agree.

Obama’s best reviews in this regard are in Brazil, where 49% say Obama has considered Brazil’s interests. Publics in Germany and India are divided.

In all other countries, opinion is on balance negative. And in 14 nations, about one-in-three or fewer believe Obama has taken their countries’ interests into account.

These findings contrast sharply with 2009, when there were high expectations in many countries that Obama would act multilaterally. For example, three years ago, 47% in Spain said Obama would consider their nation’s interests; today, only 17% believe he has actually done so.

There is similar disappointment with the way Obama has used military force. Half or more in only three countries – France, the U.S. and Germany – say Obama has sought international approval before using military force. Respondents in Europe are somewhat more likely than other publics to say he has done so, though there are significant gaps between what they anticipated from Obama on this issue and what they now believe. For instance, 44% in Spain think Obama has tried to get international approval before using force, but in 2009, 71% said they expected the new American president to act in this way.

Clear signs of disappointment are present in other countries as well. In 2009, nearly four-in-ten (37%) Egyptians believed Obama would seek international consent before turning to military force; just 13% now think he has done so. Three years ago, 52% of Japanese expected Obama to get international approval; only 29% say he has.

Unmet Expectations: Middle East Peace and Climate Change

Obama has also failed to meet expectations on two other key international issues: dealing fairly with the Israelis and Palestinians and making significant progress on climate change.

Three years ago, majorities across Europe and Japan, as well as four-in-ten or more in China and Mexico, believed Obama would be fair in his handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But today, just five of 21 countries have pluralities or more who believe Obama has been even-handed on this issue.

The gap between expectations and current evaluations is greater than 20 percentage points throughout Europe. Fully 79% of the British surveyed in 2009 said Obama would deal fairly with this issue, but just 47% now say he has.

Gaps are smaller in the predominantly Muslim nations surveyed, but that is because expectations were already low when Obama began his term. Today, less than 20% in all six predominantly Muslim nations surveyed think Obama handled the Israeli-Palestinian conflict fairly.

On the issue of climate change, the gaps between expectations and evaluations of how he has done are especially wide. Almost all publics surveyed say that Obama has failed to significantly address the issue. Lebanon (60%) is the only country where a majority believes Obama has achieved this goal. Nearly everywhere else fewer than 40% agree, with the exception of Brazil (47%).

The sense of disappointment is strongest in Europe. In 2009, 81% of the French polled said Obama would get the U.S. to take significant measures to control global climate change; just 27% believe he has actually done this. Roughly three-in-four Germans (76%) believed Obama would make significant strides on this issue, but only 23% now say he has been able to do so.

Americans also think Obama has not performed as expected on this issue. Three years ago, 69% thought he would take major steps to deal with climate change, but 35% now say he has taken such steps.

General Support for Obama’s Re-Election

Despite widespread disappointment with Obama’s policies, pluralities or more in 11 of 20 countries hope Obama wins the 2012 election. However, fewer people around the world, especially in Europe, are now paying attention to the presidential election compared with 2008.

Support for Obama’s re-election is especially high in Europe, Japan and Brazil – all areas where his image remains generally positive. About nine-in-ten in France and Germany think the U.S. leader deserves a second term. About seven-in-ten in Britain, Spain, Italy and the Czech Republic agree.

Even in Greece and Poland, two EU countries with lower levels of approval for Obama’s policies, pluralities support his re-election. Broad majorities in Brazil and Japan do the same.

Opinion is generally against Obama in most of the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed, with about half or more in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Pakistan saying Obama should not be elected again. However, Tunisians are divided, and a 39%-plurality of Turks would like to see a second term.

In many nations, a large number of respondents do not offer an opinion about whether Obama should be re-elected, which may reflect diminished international interest thus far in the U.S. presidential contest. Overall, attention to the 2012 election is down in most countries relative to the 2008 contest. Attention has decreased the most in Germany (down 20 percentage points), Japan (-20), Jordan (-17), Britain (-16), France (-16) and Egypt (-16). China is the only place where more respondents are now watching the U.S. election than four years ago (+19).

In many countries, respondents with a college education are more likely to be tracking the presidential contest. For example, 53% of those with a college degree or higher in Jordan say they are paying close attention to the election, compared with just 29% of those without a college degree. The education difference in attention is also large in India (+24), Germany (+19), the U.S. (+19) and Tunisia (+18).

Global approval of President Barack Obama’s policies has declined significantly since he first took office, while overall confidence in him and attitudes toward the U.S. have slipped modestly as a consequence.

Europeans and Japanese remain largely confident in Obama, albeit somewhat less so than in 2009, while Muslim publics remain largely critical. A similar pattern characterizes overall ratings for the U.S. – in the EU and Japan, views are still positive, but the U.S. remains unpopular in nations such as Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, support for Obama has waned significantly in China. Since 2009, confidence in the American president has declined by 24 percentage points and approval of his policies has fallen 30 points. Mexicans have also soured on his policies, and many fewer express confidence in him today.

The Obama era has coincided with major changes in international perceptions of American power – especially U.S. economic power. The global financial crisis and the steady rise of China have led many to declare China the world’s economic leader, and this trend is especially strong among some of America’s major European allies. Today, solid majorities in Germany (62%), Britain (58%), France (57%) and Spain (57%) name China as the world’s top economic power.

Even though many think American economic clout is in relative decline, publics around the world continue to worry about how the U.S. uses its power – in particular its military power – in international affairs.

There remains a widespread perception that the U.S. acts unilaterally and does not consider the interests of other countries. In predominantly Muslim nations, American anti-terrorism efforts are still widely unpopular. And in nearly all countries, there is considerable opposition to a major component of the Obama administration’s anti-terrorism policy: drone strikes. In 17 of 20 countries, more than half disapprove of U.S. drone attacks targeting extremist leaders and groups in nations such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

Americans are the clear outliers on this issue – 62% approve of the drone campaign, including most Republicans (74%), independents (60%) and Democrats (58%).

These are among the principal findings from a 21-nation survey conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project from March 17-April 20. The poll also finds that, despite disappointment with Obama’s policies, there is still considerable support for his re-election in many countries, especially in Europe. Roughly nine-in-ten in France (92%) and Germany (89%) would like to see him re-elected, as would large majorities in Britain (73%), Spain (71%), Italy (69%) and the Czech Republic (67%). Most Brazilians (72%) and Japanese (66%) agree. But in the Middle East there is little enthusiasm for a second term – majorities in Egypt (76%), Jordan (73%) and Lebanon (62%) oppose Obama’s re-election.

Overall Ratings for U.S. Mostly Positive

Majorities or pluralities in 12 countries express a favorable opinion of the United States, while the prevailing view is negative in only five nations. In three countries views are closely divided.

Attitudes toward the U.S. are generally more positive today than in 2008, the final year of the George W. Bush administration. The biggest improvements in America’s image have occurred among Europeans – in France, Spain, and Germany, the percentage of people with a positive view of the U.S. is at least 20 percentage points higher than in 2008.

However, some of the initial surge in pro-American sentiments that followed Obama’s election have waned in Western Europe, especially in Germany where 64% had a favorable opinion of the U.S. in 2009, compared with 52% today.

In Japan, 72% currently express a favorable opinion of the U.S., up from 50% four years ago. America’s image in Japan improved dramatically in 2011, due in part to American relief efforts following the devastating March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Fully 85% of Japanese respondents expressed a positive view of the U.S. in last year’s poll.

In a number of strategically important Muslim nations, America’s image has not improved during the Obama presidency. In fact, America’s already low 2008 ratings have slipped even further in Jordan and Pakistan.

Even in many nations where overall ratings for the U.S. remain low, however, certain aspects of American “soft power” are often well-regarded. For instance, the American way of doing business is especially popular in the Arab World – more than half in Lebanon (63%), Tunisia (59%), Jordan (59%) and Egypt (52%) say they like this element of America’s image.

Majorities or pluralities in 18 of 20 countries admire the U.S. for its science and technology, and most of the publics surveyed embrace American music, movies and television. Around the world, U.S. ideas about democracy and American ways of doing business have become more popular since Obama took office.

American soft power is often particularly appealing to young people. In particular, U.S. popular culture and American ideas about democracy are more popular among people under 30.

Still, even as they embrace certain features of American culture, people worry that it may crowd out their own cultures and traditions – majorities or pluralities in 17 of 20 countries say it is a bad thing that U.S. ideas and customs are spreading to their countries.

Disappointment With Obama’s Policies

While confidence in Obama has slipped, in many of the countries surveyed, people continue to express confidence in President Obama’s foreign policy leadership. In particular, he still gets extremely high ratings in much of Europe. More than seven-in-ten in Germany, France, Britain, the Czech Republic and Italy express confidence that Obama will do the right thing in world affairs. Big majorities in Japan and Brazil also hold this view.

There is little support for Obama, however, in the predominantly Muslim nations surveyed. Fewer than three-in-ten express confidence in him in Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey and Jordan. And roughly a year after he ordered the Abbottabad raid that killed Osama bin Laden, just 7% of Pakistanis have a positive view of Obama, the same percentage that voiced confidence in President George W. Bush during the final year of his administration.

Outside of Pakistan, however, Obama consistently receives higher ratings than Bush did in 2008. This is particularly true in Western Europe and Japan, but it is also true in several predominantly Muslim nations where Obama’s ratings – while not especially high – are nonetheless more positive than his predecessor’s.

In nearly every country where trends are available, support for Obama’s international policies has declined over the last three years. Even though most Europeans still endorse Obama’s policies, their enthusiasm has ebbed. Among the EU countries surveyed in both 2009 and 2012, a median of 78% approved of Obama’s policies in 2009, compared with 63% now. Among Muslim nations, the median has slipped from 34% to 15%. Major declines have also taken place in China, Japan, Russia and Mexico.

On a number of specific issues, there is a sense that Obama has not lived up to the expectations people had for him when he first took office. The 2009 Pew Global Attitudes survey found that many believed the new American president would act multilaterally, seek international approval before using military force, take a fair approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and make progress on climate change. As the current survey reveals, few now believe he has actually accomplished these things.

For instance, looking at the countries surveyed in both 2009 and 2012, a median of 56% in 2009 expected Obama to take significant steps to deal with climate change. Today, a median of just 22% think he has actually done this.

China’s Growing Economic Might

China’s image has slipped in several countries over the last year. The percentage of Japanese with a favorable opinion of China plummeted from 34% to 15%. In France, China’s favorability ratings dropped from 51% to 40%, and in Britain from 59% to 49%. And since last year, Americans have become less disposed to rate China positively (51% in 2011, 40% now).

However, perceptions of China’s economic power continue to grow. This is especially true in Europe, but the belief that China is the world’s top economy has become more common in the last year in other parts of the world as well, including Brazil, Japan, Turkey and Lebanon.

Views about the economic balance of power have shifted dramatically over time among the 14 countries surveyed each year from 2008 to 2012. In 2008, before the onset of the global financial crisis, a median of 45% named the U.S. as the world’s leading economic power, while just 22% said China. Today, only 36% say the U.S., while 42% believe China is in the top position.

Also of Note

• Global publics are much less interested in the 2012 U.S. presidential election than they were in the 2008 contest. For example, four years ago 56% of Germans were closely following the race, compared with just 36% now.
• Much like President Obama, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton receives largely positive marks in Western Europe, but is unpopular in the predominantly Muslim nations surveyed.
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel receives mostly favorable ratings in Europe – with the clear exception of Greece, where only 7% express confidence in her.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin is rated negatively in most of the countries surveyed, and Russia’s overall image has declined since last year in Western Europe and the U.S.

As has been the case since he took office, opinions of how Obama handles specific international policies lag overall confidence in the U.S. president. In particular, Obama receives low marks for his handling of the situation in Afghanistan, Iran, and the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Assessments of the way Obama has dealt with the recent calls for political change in the Middle East and global economic problems are somewhat more positive.

It is of note that Obama gets better grades for dealing with the global economy in most nations surveyed than he does in the U.S. And the American president has managed to create a consensus between Israelis and Palestinians. Solid majorities among both publics disapprove of how he is dealing with their conflict.

Confidence in Obama

President Obama receives some of his most positive ratings in Western Europe. Nearly nine-in-ten (88%) Germans say they have at least some confidence in the U.S. president to do the right thing in world affairs, as do 84% in France, 75% in Britain and 67% in Spain. By comparison, 61% of Americans have confidence in Obama.

Majorities also express confidence in Obama in Kenya (86%), Japan (81%), Lithuania (68%), Brazil (63%), Indonesia (62%) and Poland (52%). Pluralities in India (48%) and China (44%) share this view.

Opinions of Obama are more mixed in Israel, as well as in Russia and Ukraine. About half (49%) of Israelis have at least some confidence in Obama when it comes to world affairs and about the same percentage (51%) has little or no confidence in the U.S. president. In Russia, about four-in-ten (41%) express confidence in Obama, while 43% do not. Among Ukrainians, 37% give Obama positive ratings, while slightly more (42%) say they have little or no confidence.

With the exception of Indonesians, publics in predominantly Muslim countries give Obama decidedly negative ratings. Just 8% in Pakistan, 12% in Turkey and 14% in the Palestinian territories have confidence in the American president to do the right thing in international affairs; 28% in Jordan and 35% in Egypt share this view. Opinions of Obama are somewhat more positive in Lebanon, where 43% express at least some confidence, but a majority (57%) in that country say they have little or no confidence in him. (For a more detailed analysis of views of Obama in predominantly Muslim countries, see “Arab Spring Fails to Improve U.S. Image,” released May 17, 2011.)

Mexicans also give Obama negative ratings; 38% have confidence in him when it comes to world affairs, while 54% say they have little or no confidence in the U.S. president. In 2010, Mexicans were evenly split, with 43% expressing confidence in Obama and the same percentage saying they lacked confidence in him.

Ratings of Obama have also declined since 2010 in Turkey (11 points percentage points), Britain (9 points), Kenya (9 points), Poland (8 points), China (8 points), Indonesia (5 points), and the U.S. (4 points); in the Palestinian territories and Israel, confidence in

Obama has dropped 9 and 7 percentage points, respectively, since 2009, when Palestinians and Israelis were last included in the Pew Global Attitudes survey

In contrast, more Brazilians and Japanese express confidence in Obama than did so a year ago. Confidence in Obama is up 7 percentage points in Brazil, a country the American president visited in March 2011. In Japan, where U.S. efforts to assist with the impact of the March earthquake and tsunami have been widely recognized, confidence in Obama is up 5 points.

Obama’s Handling of Middle East Protests and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Obama receives relatively positive ratings for his handling of the recent calls for political change in countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain and Libya.² Majorities or pluralities in 10 of the 23 countries surveyed approve of the way Obama has dealt with the uprisings, including about seven-in-ten in France (70%) and Germany (69%) and at least six-in-ten in Kenya (64%) and Spain (63%).

Views of Obama’s handling of the recent protests in the Middle East are most negative in the Muslim countries surveyed, where majorities or pluralities are critical of his performance. Still, many in these countries approve of the way Obama has handled the uprisings. This is especially the case in Egypt and Lebanon; 45% of Egyptians and 41% of Lebanese approve of Obama’s handling of calls for political change, while 52% in each country disapprove.

In contrast, Obama receives some of his most negative ratings for his handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Only in Kenya do more than half (51%) approve of Obama’s performance on this issue.

In Spain and France, majorities disapprove of Obama’s performance on this issue (58% and 54%, respectively), as does a plurality (42%) in Britain. Germans are nearly evenly divided; 45% approve and 42% disapprove of his handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Disapproval of Obama’s performance has increased since last year in France, Spain, and Britain; 47%, 45% and 34%, respectively, gave the American president low marks for his handling of the conflict in 2010.

Palestinians are more critical than Israelis, but majorities among both publics (84% and 64%, respectively) disapprove of the way Obama is dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Elsewhere in the Middle East, at least eight-in-ten in Lebanon (85%), Jordan (82%) and Egypt (82%) disapprove of Obama’s handling of this issue.

Criticism of Iran and Afghanistan Policies

Opinions of the way Obama is dealing with Iran are largely negative across the world. France, Germany and Kenya are the only countries surveyed where a clear majority or plurality approves of Obama’s handling of Iran (53%, 48% and 44%, respectively).

In the Middle Eastern countries surveyed, majorities are critical of Obama’s handling of Iran. This is especially the case in the Palestinian territories and Jordan, where 80% and 77%, respectively, disapprove; 68% in Egypt and Turkey, 61% in Israel and 55% in Lebanon share this view.

Majorities in the other two predominantly Muslim countries surveyed, Indonesia and

Pakistan, also disapprove of the way Obama is dealing with Iran (56% and 52%, respectively). Six-in-ten in Russia, 56% in Mexico and 52% in China share this view, as do about half in Ukraine (49%) and Brazil (48%); just 11% of Ukrainians and 31% of Brazilians approve of Obama’s performance on Iran.

In the U.S., as well as in Spain, Britain, Japan and Poland, views of Obama’s handling of Iran are more mixed. For example, 41% of Americans approve and 45% disapprove of the president’s performance. In Spain, 45% approve and 43% disapprove of the way Obama is dealing with Iran; the same percentage of Poles approves as disapproves (35%).

Approval of Obama’s handling of Iran has declined over the past year in 7 of 18 countries for which trends are available. This is particularly the case in Kenya, Indonesia, Poland, and Russia, where the percentage approving of the president’s performance on this issue is down by double digits (14 percentage points in Kenya and Poland, 13 points in Indonesia and 11 points in Russia).

When asked about Obama’s handling of the situation in Afghanistan, only in Kenya does a majority (57%) give the president high marks.³ Opinions are mixed in the U.S and Western Europe; the same number of Americans approves as disapproves of Obama’s handling of Afghanistan (45% each), and the French (50% approve and 49% disapprove), Germans (49% and 46%) and Spanish (46% and 44%) are also nearly evenly divided. In Britain, somewhat more approve (44%) than disapprove (39%) of the way Obama is dealing with the situation in Afghanistan.

As is the case with other key policies in the Muslim world, views of Obama’s handling of Afghanistan are especially negative in predominantly Muslim countries. Nearly nine-in-ten (87%) Jordanians and at least three-quarters in the Palestinian territories (81%) and Egypt (76%) disapprove of the way Obama is dealing with the situation in Afghanistan; 71% in Lebanon and 70% in Turkey, as well as narrower majorities in Indonesia (56%) and Pakistan (55%) express similar views.

Mostly Good Grades on Global Economy

Majorities or pluralities in 12 of 23 countries surveyed approve of the way the U.S. president is dealing with global economic problems. Kenyans are particularly supportive; nearly eight-in-ten (78%) approve of Obama’s handling of the world economy.

In Western Europe, Germans express the most support for Obama’s handling of economic problems; about two-thirds (68%) approve of the president’s performance. Nearly six-in-ten (59%) in France and narrower majorities in Britain and Spain (52% each) share this view.

By comparison, four-in-ten Americans approve and about half (49%) disapprove of the way Obama is dealing with global economic problems.

Six-in-ten Lithuanians offer support for Obama’s handling of global economic problems. About half (48%) in Poland and 39% in Ukraine approve of the way the U.S. president is dealing with this issue; about a quarter in each country (26% and 25%, respectively) disapprove. In contrast, more in Russia disapprove (36%) than approve (32%) of Obama’s performance.

For the most part, publics in the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed are critical of the way Obama is dealing with the world economy. At least seven-in-ten in Jordan (76%) and Egypt (73%) disapprove of Obama’s performance, as do 66% in the Palestinian territories, 62% in Turkey, 53% in Lebanon and 51% in Pakistan. Only in Indonesia does a majority (65%) approve of Obama’s handling of global economic problems; 26% of Indonesians disapprove.

Views of Obama’s performance on the global economy are mixed in Israel, Mexico and China. In Israel, 44% approve and 43% disapprove of the way Obama is handling this issue. About four-in-ten (41%) Mexicans give Obama high marks for his handling of global economic problems, while about the same number (42%) are critical of the president. And in China, 35% approve and 38% disapprove. In contrast, 69% in Japan and 62% in Brazil approve of the way Obama is dealing with economic problems, as do 36% in India; 13% of Indians disapprove and 51% do not offer an opinion.

U.S. President Barack Obama also receives low marks in largely Muslim countries. With the exception of Indonesia, majorities in the countries surveyed lack confidence in Obama to do the right thing in world affairs. And for the most part, Obama’s handling of issues in the Muslim world, including the recent uprisings in the Middle East, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iran and Afghanistan, are met with disapproval.

In general, attitudes toward the U.S. and Obama are more positive in Israel than in the other Middle Eastern countries surveyed and in the Muslim world more broadly. Yet, majorities of Israelis also disapprove of the way Obama is handling key issues in the Muslim world, especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On most measures, Israeli Arabs offer more negative assessments of the U.S. and Obama than do Israeli Jews.

U.S. Image Largely Negative

The United States receives negative ratings in most of the predominantly Muslim nations surveyed. This is especially the case in Turkey and Pakistan, where only about one-in-ten have a favorable opinion of the U.S. (10% and 11%, respectively). In Jordan, just 13% offer positive ratings, as do 18% in the Palestinian territories and 20% in Egypt.

America’s image is more positive in Lebanon and Indonesia. A majority of Indonesians (54%) have a favorable view of the U.S., while four-in-ten have an unfavorable opinion. In Lebanon, opinions about the U.S. are evenly divided – 49% have a positive view and 49% have a negative opinion.

Attitudes toward the U.S. are more negative than they were a year ago in four of the seven predominantly Muslim countries surveyed. In Jordan, favorable ratings are down eight percentage points, from 21% in 2010. Similar drops in U.S. favorability are evident in Turkey (7 percentage points), Pakistan (6 points) and Indonesia (5 points).

U.S. Seen as Unilateralist

Publics in the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed continue to say that the U. S. tends to act unilaterally in world affairs. Fewer than a quarter in Lebanon (23%), Jordan (23%), Egypt (21%), Pakistan (18%) and Turkey (17%) say the U.S. considers the interests of countries like theirs when making foreign policy decisions.

The U.S. receives more positive marks on this issue in Indonesia, where 43% believe the U.S. takes a multilateral approach. Still, about half (49%) in that country say the U.S. does not consider other countries’ interests when making foreign policy decisions.

In Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon, respondents are more likely than they were last year to say the U.S. takes other countries’ interests into account. In 2010, 9% of Turks, 15% of Egyptians and 19% of Lebanese said the U.S. acted multilaterally. In contrast, Indonesians are now less likely than they were a year ago to say the U.S. takes a multilateral approach; half said that was the case in 2010.

Cooperation With the U.S.

Majorities in Jordan (57%), Lebanon (54%) and Pakistan (54%) believe their countries’ governments cooperate too much with the U.S. government; a 39% plurality in Egypt shares this view.

Views about cooperation with the U.S. are more mixed in Turkey, where 26% say their government cooperates too much with the U.S. and the same percentage says the Turkish government does not cooperate with the U.S. enough; about a third (32%) of Turks say their country cooperates with the U.S. about the right amount.

Most Indonesians are satisfied with the amount of cooperation between their country and the U.S.; 54% say their government cooperates about the right amount, while 19% believe it cooperates too much and 18% say it does not cooperate enough with the U.S. government.

U.S. Still Seen as a Threat

Majorities in six of the seven predominantly Muslim countries surveyed say they are very or somewhat worried that the U.S. could become a military threat to their country someday. Concern about a potential U.S. threat is especially widespread in the Palestinian territories, where about nine-in-ten (91%) say it could pose a threat.

In Indonesia, where most view the U.S. favorably, 71% express concern that the U.S. could pose a military threat to their country someday. This view is shared by two-thirds in Pakistan, about six-in-ten in Lebanon (59%) and Turkey (59%) and 54% in Egypt.

Jordan is the only largely Muslim country surveyed where fewer than half express concern about a potential U.S. threat; 46% say they are worried, while 52% say they are not worried. A year ago, 52% of Jordanians were concerned that the U.S. could pose a military threat to their country and 47% were not worried.

Views of U.S. Anti-Terror Efforts and the War in Afghanistan

Support for U.S.-led efforts to fight terrorism remains low in most of the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed. Just 9% in Jordan and 14% in Turkey and Pakistan say they favor American anti-terrorism efforts; 21% of Egyptians and about one-third of Lebanese (35%) express support.

Indonesians offer more positive opinions of the U.S. on this issue than do publics in other largely Muslim countries. More than half (55%) in Indonesia favor U.S.-led efforts to fight terrorism, while one-third oppose such efforts.

The war in Afghanistan, a cornerstone of American anti-terrorism efforts, is unpopular in the Muslim world. At least two-thirds in the seven predominantly Muslim countries surveyed say U.S. and NATO troops should withdraw from Afghanistan as soon as possible.

Jordanians are especially inclined to favor withdrawal from Afghanistan; nearly nine-in-ten (87%) want troops to leave as soon as possible. About eight-in-ten (78%) in Egypt, three-quarters in Turkey and 71% in Indonesia and Lebanon also share this opinion, as do 68% in Pakistan.

Views of President Obama

Like the United States, President Obama receives low marks in most of the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed. Just about one-in-ten Pakistanis (10%) and Turks (12%) and 14% of Palestinians say they have at least some confidence in the American president to do the right thing in world affairs. Obama also gets negative ratings in Jordan and Egypt, where only 28% and 35%, respectively, say they have confidence in him.

Views of Obama are somewhat more positive in Lebanon; 43% in that country have at least some confidence in him. Still, nearly six-in-ten (57%) Lebanese say they have little or no confidence in the American president.

Indonesia is the only predominantly Muslim country surveyed where a majority expresses confidence in Obama to do the right things in world affairs. About six-in-ten (62%) Indonesians say they have confidence in Obama, while 35% do not.

Yet, confidence in Obama has declined somewhat among Indonesians since last year; two-thirds offered positive opinions of him in 2010. Positive ratings of Obama have declined even more in Turkey, where nearly a quarter (23%) said they had confidence in the U.S. president a year ago; and among Palestinians, favorable ratings of Obama have declined nine percentage points since 2009, when the Palestinian territories were last included in the survey.

Low Ratings for Obama’s Policies

Majorities or pluralities in nearly all of the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed disapprove of Obama’s handling of four important issues in the Muslim world – the calls for political change in the Middle East, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the situation in Afghanistan, and Iran.

Obama receives his lowest marks for his performance on the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. At least eight-in-ten in Lebanon (85%), the Palestinians territories (84%), Egypt (82%) and Jordan (82%) disapprove of the way Obama is handling this issue.

About two-thirds in Turkey (68%) and 57% in Indonesia also disapprove of Obama’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The balance of opinion is also negative in Pakistan; 45% disapprove while just 6% approve of Obama’s handling of the conflict. About half (49%) of Pakistanis do not offer an opinion.

As is the case with his performance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ratings for Obama’s handling of Iran and the situation in Afghanistan are extremely low. At least 70% in five of the Muslim countries surveyed disapprove of the president’s performance on Afghanistan, with Jordanians and Palestinians expressing particularly negative opinions (87% and 81%, respectively, disapprove). And while Obama’s handling of Iran has the approval of four-in-ten Lebanese, a majority in that country (55%), as well as in Indonesia (56%), Turkey (68%), Egypt (68%), Jordan (77%) and the Palestinian territories (80%), disapprove.

Opinions about Obama’s handling of the recent uprisings in countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain and Libya are also negative, but considerable minorities in the Middle East approve of his job performance on this issue. This is especially the case in Egypt, where protests led to the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak earlier this year; 45% of Egyptians approve of Obama’s handling of calls for political change in the Middle East, while 52% disapprove. About four-in-ten (41%) in Lebanon, 33% in the Palestinian territories and 31% in Jordan also approve of Obama’s job performance on this issue; 52%, 63% and 65%, respectively, disapprove.

In the non-Arab countries surveyed, Obama also gets low marks for his handling of the Arab Spring, but many do not offer an opinion. For example, 65% in Turkey disapprove of Obama’s job performance on this issue and just 8% approve, but 27% say they do not know; in Pakistan, 40% disapprove of Obama’s handling of the uprisings in the Middle East, 5% approve, and a 55%-majority does not offer an opinion.

Religious and Sectarian Divide in Lebanon

Ratings of the United States and President Obama vary considerably across religious and sectarian groups in Lebanon. On nearly every measure, Shia Muslims in that country offer far more negative assessments of the U.S., its handling of foreign policy and its president. For example, seven-in-ten Lebanese Christians and 59% of Sunnis say they have a favorable opinion of the U.S.; in contrast, just 12% of Lebanese Shia rate the U.S. positively, while 88% give it an unfavorable rating.

Majorities of Lebanese Christians (57%) and Sunnis (55%) also express confidence in Obama to do the right thing in world affairs, compared with just 14% of Shia. And while majorities among the three groups say the U.S. acts unilaterally when making foreign policy decisions, about one-third of Christians (34%) and 30% of Sunnis say the U.S. takes the interests of countries like Lebanon into account, while just 4% of Shia Muslims say this is the case. Moreover, nine-in-ten Shia say their government cooperates too much with the U.S. government, far more than the percentage of Christians (38%) and Sunnis (39%) who share this view.

Lebanese Shia are also more critical of Obama’s handling of issues in the Muslim world, although Christians and Sunnis also often express disapproval. For example, at least three-quarters of Christians (76%) and Sunnis (81%) give Obama low marks for his handling of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, but Shia are unanimous in their disapproval of the president’s job performance on this issue.

Attitudes Toward the U.S. and Obama in Israel

Israelis continue to offer far more positive opinions of the U.S. and Obama than do their neighbors in the Middle East, but views in that country often divide along ethnic lines. About seven-in-ten (72%) Israelis, including 77% of Israeli Jews, have a favorable view of the U.S.; among Israeli Arabs, however, views of the U.S. are mostly negative, with 36% offering a positive opinion and nearly six-in-ten (58%) saying they have an unfavorable view.

Overall, Israeli opinions of Obama are more negative than ratings for the U.S. in that country. Nearly half (49%) of Israelis have at least some confidence in him to do the right thing in world affairs and about the same number (51%) do not have confidence in Obama; Israeli Jews are also about evenly divided in their opinion of the U.S. president. Among Israeli Arabs, however, Obama’s ratings match the negative views of the U.S.; 38% of Arabs have confidence in Obama, while 60% do not.

Arabs in Israel are also more likely than their Jewish counterparts to say their government cooperates with the U.S. too much; 40% of Arabs say this is the case, while 25% say Israel does not cooperate enough and 23% say it cooperates about the right amount with the U.S. Among Israeli Jews, 30% believe their government cooperates too much, 22% say it does not cooperate enough, and a 44%-plurality says it cooperates about the right amount with the U.S.

There is agreement between Israeli Arabs and Jews on some issues, however. Majorities among both groups say the U.S. takes the interests of countries like Israel into account when making foreign policy decisions, and Arabs are more likely than Jews to say this is the case (89% vs. 65%). Still, at least six-in-ten in each group disapprove of Obama’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (64% of Jews and 67% of Arabs) and Iran (61% of Jews and 66% of Arabs).

Israeli Jews are more critical than Arabs of Obama’s handling of the recent calls for political change in the Middle East. Among Jews, 36% approve and 52% disapprove of Obama’s job performance on this issue; nearly half (48%) of Israeli Arabs approve and 35% disapprove of Obama’s handling of the recent uprisings in the region.

About six-in-ten Pakistanis consider the U.S. an enemy of their country and express concern that the U.S. could become a military threat to Pakistan. Most also oppose U.S.-led efforts to fight terrorism and say U.S. and NATO troops should leave Afghanistan as soon as possible.

When it comes to U.S. policy toward India and Pakistan, nearly half of Pakistanis say the U.S. favors their archrivals, while just 13% say the U.S. is fair and 6% say it favors Pakistan.

Opinions about U.S.-Pakistani relations are mixed, with about as many saying they have improved in recent years as saying they have not improved. Still, a solid majority of Pakistanis believe it is important for relations between the U.S. and their country to improve.

Assessments of how much financial aid the U.S. gives to Pakistan are also mixed; 23% of Pakistanis say the U.S. gives their country a lot of money, 22% say it gives a little, and 26% say the U.S. gives Pakistan hardly any aid (10%) or none at all (16%). Of those who say their country receives at least some assistance from the U.S., about an equal number say U.S. aid is mostly for military purposes as say it is mostly for economic development or for both equally.

Obama receives lower ratings in Pakistan than in any other nation polled in 2010. Fewer than one-in-ten Pakistanis have confidence in the U.S. president to do the right thing regarding world affairs. Overall evaluations of Obama’s international policies are also negative, and majorities disapprove of the way he is handling the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan as well as two important issues in the Middle East – Iran and the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

America’s Image Largely Negative

Fewer than one-in-five Pakistanis (17%) have a favorable opinion of the U.S., a rating virtually unchanged from recent years. America’s favorable ratings are somewhat higher in Sindh than in other provinces; 27% in Sindh have a positive view of the U.S., compared with 15% in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 13% in Punjab.

The American people also receive low ratings in Pakistan. About six-in-ten (61%) have a negative view of Americans, while just 18% express a positive opinion. Of the 21 publics surveyed outside of the U.S. in 2010, only Turks give Americans more negative ratings than Pakistanis; 72% in Turkey have an unfavorable view and 16% have a favorable view of Americans.

America’s image challenge in Pakistan stems, in part, from negative attitudes toward key elements of American foreign policy. For example, nearly two-thirds (65%) of Pakistanis think U.S. and NATO troops should be removed from Afghanistan as soon as possible and 56% oppose U.S.-led efforts to fight terrorism. Majorities also say the U.S. does not consider the interests of countries like Pakistan (56%) and express concern that the U.S. could become a military threat to their country (65%).

Relations With the U.S.

Despite giving America consistently low ratings, Pakistanis offer more positive assessments of their country’s relations with the U.S. than they did a year ago. About as many now say U.S.-Pakistan relations have improved in recent years (36%) as say they have not improved (39%); a quarter do not have an opinion. In 2009, far fewer said relations between their country and the U.S. had recently improved (27%) than said they had not (43%).

In contrast, Indians are now less likely than they were a year ago to say that relations between the U.S. and Pakistan have improved recently. Four-in-ten in that country say U.S.-Pakistani relations have gotten better and slightly more (44%) say they have not. In 2009, nearly half of Indians (48%) believed relations between the U.S. and Pakistan had improved, while 38% said they had not.

While Pakistanis offer mixed views about whether relations between their country and the U.S. have improved in recent years, a clear majority wants relations to improve. More than six-in-ten (64%) say that improving relations with the U.S. is important, up from 53% who expressed this opinion a year ago.

Those in Sindh and Punjab are especially likely to say that improving relations with the U.S. is important (71% and 66%, respectively), but a majority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (55%) also shares that view.

Many Pakistanis Say U.S. Sides With India

Nearly half of Pakistanis (47%) say U.S. policies toward India and Pakistan tend to favor India, down from 54% who said the same in 2009. Just 6% say American policies favor Pakistan, while 13% say the U.S. is fair and about a third (34%) do not offer an opinion.

For their part, nearly four-in-ten Indians (38%) believe U.S. policy in South Asia favors their country and a third say the U.S. is fair. Few Indians (14%) say the U.S. favors Pakistan.

Most See U.S. as Enemy, China as Partner

About six-in-ten Pakistanis (59%) see the U.S. as an enemy of their country, down slightly from 64% in 2009. Only 11% now consider the U.S. a partner and 16% say it is neither a partner nor an enemy. By comparison, more than eight-in-ten Pakistanis consider China a partner (84%) and say they have a favorable opinion of the Asian superpower (85%).

Those who live in Punjab are far more likely than those in other regions to consider the U.S. an enemy of Pakistan; about seven-in-ten (69%) in that province express this opinion, compared with 52% in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 40% in Sindh.

The view that the U.S. is an enemy of Pakistan is also much more prevalent among Pakistanis who are affiliated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) than among those in the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). About seven-in-ten (72%) in the PML-N, Pakistan’s opposition party, consider the U.S. an enemy; just 9% say it is a partner and 12% say it is neither. Fewer than half (46%) in the PPP see the U.S. as an enemy, while 15% consider it a partner and 21% say it is neither.

U.S. Aid to Pakistan

When asked how much financial aid the U.S. gives to their country, 23% of Pakistanis say it gives a lot, 22% say it gives a little, and 10% say the U.S. gives Pakistan hardly any financial assistance. Another 16% of Pakistanis say the U.S. does not give their country any aid, and nearly three-in-ten (29%) say they do not know how much financial assistance their country receives from the American government.

Awareness of U.S. aid to Pakistan is more widespread in Sindh than in other provinces. More than six-in-ten in Sindh say the U.S. gives their country at least some aid, including 28% who say the U.S. gives a lot, 23% who say it gives a little, and 11% who say American aid is minimal. By comparison, 56% in Punjab and 48% in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa say Pakistan receives financial assistance from the U.S.

Among Pakistanis who say the U.S. gives Pakistan at least some aid, the same number believes American financial assistance is increasing as believe it is decreasing (33% each); about one-in-five (18%) say U.S. aid to Pakistan is staying the same.

Those who say Pakistan receives financial assistance from the U.S. also offer mixed opinions about how U.S. aid is allocated. About a quarter (26%) say American aid to their country is mostly military, and about the same number say it is mostly to help Pakistan develop economically (27%) or both equally (28%).

Few Have Confidence in Obama

Barack Obama receives overwhelmingly low marks in Pakistan. Just 8% express at least some confidence in the American president to do the right thing regarding world affairs, lower than in any of the other 21 countries surveyed in 2010. Six-in-ten Pakistanis say they have little or no confidence in Obama, and about a third (32%) do not offer an opinion. Moreover, only 13% believe Obama has a better understanding of Pakistan than most Western leaders; more than three times as many (42%) say he does not, and 45% do not know.

In 2009, about one-in-eight (13%) Pakistanis said they had confidence in Obama when it came to international affairs, while about half (51%) said they did not have confidence in him; 36% did not offer an opinion. About one-in-five (18%) said Obama had a better understanding of Pakistan than most Western leaders a year ago.

Pakistan is the only predominantly Muslim country surveyed where more express confidence in Osama bin Laden than in the American president. About one-in-five (18%) Pakistanis have at least some confidence in the al Qaeda leader to do the right thing in world affairs, while 45% lack confidence in him.

Views of Obama’s Policies

Evaluations of Obama’s foreign policies and assessments of his handling of specific issues are, on balance, negative, but many Pakistanis, particularly women and the less educated, do not offer an opinion on these matters. Overall, 48% disapprove of Obama’s policies, while only 9% approve and 42% say they do not know.

Majorities of Pakistanis disapprove of the way the American president is handling Afghanistan (55%), Iraq (53%), Iran (52%), and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (51%). The percentages of Pakistanis who approve of Obama’s handling of each of these issues are all in the single digits, while about four-in-ten do not offer assessments.

Pakistani views about Obama’s handling of the global economic crisis and global climate change are somewhat less negative than opinions about his handling of the two war zones and the Middle East. Still, only about one-in-six approve of the way the American president is dealing with these two issues (16% and 17%, respectively), and many do not offer an opinion.

The image of the United States has improved markedly in most parts of the world, reflecting global confidence in Barack Obama. In many countries opinions of the United States are now about as positive as they were at the beginning of the decade before George W. Bush took office. Improvements in the U.S. image have been most pronounced in Western Europe, where favorable ratings for both the nation and the American people have soared. But opinions of America have also become more positive in key countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia, as well.

Signs of improvement in views of America are seen even in some predominantly Muslim countries that held overwhelmingly negative views of the United States in the Bush years. The most notable increase occurred in Indonesia, where people are well aware of Obama’s family ties to the country and where favorable ratings of the U.S. nearly doubled this year. However for the most part, opinions of the U.S. among Muslims in the Middle East remain largely unfavorable, despite some positive movement in the numbers in Jordan and Egypt. Animosity toward the U.S., however, continues to run deep and unabated in Turkey, the Palestinian territories and Pakistan.

Israel stands out in the poll as the only public among the 25 surveyed where the current U.S. rating is lower than in past surveys.¹

In contrast, in Germany favorable opinion of the U.S. jumped from 31% in 2008 to 64% in the current survey. Large boosts in U.S. favorability ratings since last year are also recorded in Britain, Spain and France. In its own hemisphere, America’s image rose markedly in Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil. Improvements in U.S. ratings are less evident in countries where the country’s image had not declined consistently during the Bush years, including Poland, Japan and South Korea. Opinions of the U.S. remain very positive in the African nations of Kenya and Nigeria, while increasing significantly in India and China.

The new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project, conducted May 18 to June 16, finds that confidence in Barack Obama’s foreign policy judgments stands behind a resurgent U.S. image in many countries. Belief that Obama will “do the right thing in world affairs” is now nearly universal in Western countries, where lack of confidence in President Bush had been almost as prevalent for much of his time in office. In France and Germany, no fewer than nine-in-ten express confidence in the new American president, exceeding the ratings achieved by Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel in their own countries.

In Asia, optimism about Obama is almost as extensive with 85% of Japanese and 81% of South Koreans expressing confidence in the American president, and only somewhat lower percentages expressing that view in India (77%) and China (64%). In Brazil, 76% have confidence in Obama, as do most Argentines (61%), despite their generally skeptical view of the U.S. as expressed in this and earlier surveys.

Even in some countries where the U.S. remains unpopular, significant percentages nonetheless say that they think Obama will do the right thing in international affairs. In Egypt and Jordan, sizable numbers have confidence in him – 42% and 31% respectively. This represents a three-fold increase compared with opinions about President Bush in 2008. But in Pakistan and the Palestinian territories, ratings of Obama are only marginally better than the abysmal ratings accorded Bush. Again, Israel stands alone as the only country where Obama does not engender more confidence than did President Bush. And only about one-in-three Russians (37%) voice confidence in the new president, although this is still a considerably better rating than Bush received in 2008 (22%).

In most countries where opinions of the U.S. have improved, many say that Obama’s election led them to have a more favorable view of the U.S. This admission is most apparent in Western Europe, Canada and Japan. In Indonesia, where opinion of America improved dramatically, no fewer than 73% say that his election bettered their opinion of the U.S. However even in countries where there was little or no upswing in the U.S.’s ratings, many people say that Obama’s election has led them to think more favorably of the U.S. For example in Egypt and Turkey, where America’s favorable ratings remain very low, as many as 38% in both countries say they have better opinions of the U.S. because of Obama. However, fewer than one-in-ten (9%) in Pakistan express that view.

More generally, analysis of the survey finds that views of the U.S. are being driven much more by personal confidence in Obama than by opinions about his specific policies. That is, opinions about Obama personally are more associated with views of the U.S. than are judgments of his policies that were tested in the poll.

Obama’s Cairo Speech

The polling in the Muslim world took place around the time of President Obama’s Cairo speech. In some countries, interviews took place both before and after the speech, providing some gauge of the effect of Obama’s remarks on his image and opinions of the U.S. more broadly. In Turkey a sufficient number of interviews were conducted before and after the speech to allow for an analysis of how much impact it had on public opinion. This analysis suggests that the speech had little measurable impact on views of the U.S. or Obama himself. However, the pre-post comparisons were rudimentary ones that could only have detected a major swing in public opinion.

In Israel and the Palestinian territories full surveys were conducted both before and after the Cairo speech. A pre-post analysis among both publics suggests that Obama’s June 4 speech had a more negative impact on attitudes toward America among Israelis than it had a positive one among Palestinians. Before the speech, 76% of Israelis questioned had a favorable view of the U.S., but after the speech that rating fell to 63%. Similarly, confidence in Obama to do the right thing in world affairs slipped from 60% pre-speech to 49% post-speech.

Among Palestinians, in contrast, overall ratings of the U.S. and Obama improved but only marginally (+5 percentage points), a difference that is not statistically significant. However, one apparently positive consequence of the speech on Palestinian public opinion was observed in the survey. The number of Palestinians thinking that Obama would consider their country’s interests when making international policy rose from 27% to 39%, following the Cairo speech.

Obama vs. bin Laden

More generally, there is little evidence that a more positively regarded U.S. president has spurred further declines in support for terrorism in Muslim countries. Pew Global Attitudes surveys over the last few years have found many fewer Muslims than earlier in the decade saying that suicide bombing and other forms of violence against civilians are justified to defend Islam from its enemies. However, support for suicide bombing has not fallen further over the past year.

Opinions about Osama bin Laden have followed a similar trend line among the Muslim publics surveyed by the Pew Global Attitudes Project. Views of him have been far more negative in recent years than they were mid-decade, but overall they have not declined further over the past year. However, for the first time over the course of Pew’s surveys, there is more confidence in the American president than in bin Laden in a number of countries with predominantly Muslim publics; including: Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Nigeria and Indonesia.

In 2008, most Muslim publics rated bin Laden as high, or higher than they rated President Bush. But in the current survey Obama inspires confidence in many more people than does the al Qaeda leader. However, in the Palestinian territories and Pakistan, bin Laden’s ratings still top Obama’s by sizable margins. (Lebanon is the only country in the survey where Bush’s ratings had been higher than bin Laden’s among Muslims in recent years).

Obama Runs the Table on Guantanamo and Iraq

Obama’s overall approval rating for some of his current international policies is high in most countries. This is especially so in Western Europe, where markedly more people than in the U.S. itself give a thumbs up to the new president’s foreign policy. Closing the military prison at Guantanamo and withdrawing troops from Iraq are the specific policies that engender the most public international support. Supra majorities in almost all countries favor both measures – including nearly all of the publics of predominantly Muslim countries surveyed. The one notable exception is the U.S., where the public is now divided about closing the military prison at Guantanamo.

Sending more troops to Afghanistan is the only Obama policy tested that does not engender broad global support. In fact, majorities in most countries oppose the added deployments. This includes the publics of several NATO countries – such as Britain, Germany, Spain and Canada – most of which in recent years have called for removing troops from Afghanistan. A majority of Pakistanis also oppose the call for more troops in Afghanistan, reflecting longstanding opposition to NATO operations in that country. Opinions in the U.S. and Israel are exceptional – majorities in both countries favor Obama’s request for more troops.

Afghanistan not withstanding, people around the world for the most part have high expectations for Barack Obama. Majorities of the publics of America’s traditional allies, who have thought the U.S. favors Israel too much think that Obama will be fair in his dealing with the Palestinians and Israelis. In the Mideast, however, large majorities are dubious. More than six-in-ten Jordanians (69%), Egyptians (66%) and Lebanese (63%) do not expect Obama to be even handed. In Israel, the number thinking Obama will be fair was 57% prior to the Cairo speech, but just 47% after Obama’s address. Among Palestinians, the view that the new American president will be fair rose marginally after the speech (25% to 31%).

The nearly 27,000 people questioned in the new Pew Global Attitudes survey are also generally optimistic that Obama will seek international approval before using military force and will take into account the interests of their country when making U.S. policy. Western Europeans and Canadians are especially positive in these regards. Publics around the world are also optimistic on another issue that has been a source of contention with regard to the U.S.: climate change. Majorities or pluralities of people in almost every country surveyed believe that Obama will get the U.S. to take significant measures to control climate change.

While the image of the U.S. is much improved and expectations about Obama are high, there has been only modest change in opinion of the U.S. on two key issues: multilateralism and the impact of the American global footprint. Expectations about Obama’s multilateralism not withstanding, most still say the U.S. is not considering their country when making foreign policy. Only in Germany, India, Israel, Kenya, Nigeria, China and Brazil do majorities think the U.S. is taking their country’s interest into account when making foreign policy. And overwhelming numbers of people around the world continue to see the U.S. as having a big influence on their country, with the publics of most nations surveyed describing that influence as bad, rather than good. Exceptions are India and Kenya, where majorities say that the U.S. impact is positive.

Nonetheless, one concrete, positive sign for the new administration in the survey is a surge in support for U.S.-led efforts to combat terrorism. The percentage favoring the U.S. effort among the nation’s allies had steadily declined from 2002 to 2007. The new survey once again finds majorities of Western Europeans and Canadians approving of the U.S. anti-terrorism effort. But increased support for U.S. anti-terrorism efforts is also apparent in Poland, Russia, Brazil and Mexico. Among majority-Muslim publics, Indonesians are alone in supporting American anti-terrorism efforts. In that regard, while the image of the U.S. has improved somewhat in many predominantly Muslim countries, majorities in most continue to fear that the U.S. could pose a military threat to their country someday.

It’s Still the Economy

As in 2008, most people surveyed by the Pew Global Attitudes Project say they are dissatisfied with conditions in their country. However, discontent increased sharply over the past year in Spain, Poland, Russia, Pakistan and Mexico. As in previous polls, an overwhelming number of Chinese (87%) say they are satisfied with conditions in their country. Majorities in Canada and India also express satisfaction with the way things were going in their countries. For India, the current recorded level of national contentment represents a major increase over 2008.

Overwhelmingly negative views of national economies underlie national discontent in most countries. Overall, ratings of national economic conditions have grown more negative in the last year. Among the 21 countries surveyed in 2008 and 2009, the median percentage rating their economy as bad is 74% this year, compared with 62% last year. Evaluations of economic conditions soured the most over the past year in Europe – specifically in Britain, Germany, Spain, Poland and Russia. But in China, India and Indonesia, where GDP has continued to grow, opinions of economic conditions have improved since 2008, especially in India.

Even though America’s image has improved markedly over the past year, majorities or pluralities in 20 of 25 publics believe that the U.S. economy is hurting their own economies. This was the prevailing view in most countries in the 2008 survey, as well. It is slightly more prevalent in the new poll – especially in Russia and Nigeria. In India most (55%) see the U.S. as having a positive effect on the economy, while the Chinese are divided about evenly on the American impact.

There is little consensus as to which of the major powers has the best plan to fix the economy. In Europe, only the French and Germans express strong confidence in the European Union. In Britain and Spain, where many favor the U.S. approach, confidence in the EU is lower. Most Americans (60%) believe the U.S. has the best approach to dealing with the global recession, though the poll does find that Obama’s economic stimulus plan is less popular in the United States than in Western Europe. As in the United States, most Chinese (60%) say their country’s approach to the global recession is best.

The 25-nation poll finds a mixed message in responses to the global recession. As in the past, majorities in most nations continue to endorse a free market economy and most people polled continue to endorse growing international trade ties. However, still more people say their governments should take steps to protect their countries economically, even if other friendly nations object. And as in previous surveys in this series, large percentages of people believe that their country needs to be protected against foreign influence and most favor greater restrictions and control on immigration.

While global recession concerns are clearly evident, huge majorities of the 25 publics questioned in the poll continue to see global warming as a serious problem. As has been the case in past years, the intensity of concern about this issue is somewhat less among the Chinese and the Americans compared with people in other major nations. But the current poll found the intensity of worry also slipping in Canada, Mexico, Britain, Spain, Poland, Russia and Turkey compared with levels in 2008. Stronger concern for global warming was recorded in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria and China. However, the Chinese continue to report far less intense worry about global warming than any of the other publics polled.

Notably, however, willingness to pay increased prices to combat climate change was much higher in China, and also India, than in other countries. Close to nine-in-ten among these two publics, both of which have seen GDP growth in the past year, agree that people should be willing to pay higher prices to address this problem. And support for higher prices to deal with climate change was also a good deal higher than average among the publics of two other major Asian economies – South Korea and Japan.

The poll found near universal awareness of swine flu among the 25 publics surveyed in late May and early June. Pakistan is the only country polled where people were largely unaware of the disease. Concern about swine flu was considerable: Majorities of those who have heard about the disease in most countries polled were very or somewhat worried about being exposed to it. Concerns were especially strong in parts of Asia, but surprisingly modest in Mexico, despite the number of deaths from swine flu that have occurred there.

Also of Note:

• Lebanese Sunnis are more confident in Obama than are either Christians or Shia. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Sunni Muslims in Lebanon say they have at least some confidence in Obama, compared with 46% of Christians and just 26% of Shia Muslims.
• Brazilians increasingly view China, a fellow member of the BRIC group (Brazil, Russia, India and China), as a partner. Nearly half of Brazilians (49%) now see China as a partner, up from 34% in 2008.
• Opinions of the European Union remain fairly tepid in Britain. In fact, more Canadians (71%) and Americans (56%) than the British (50%) express favorable opinions of the EU.
• Views of the United Nations have improved in the United States, as well as in Britain and France. Currently, 61% of Americans say they have a favorable view of the U.N., compared with 48% in 2007
• There is as much support for the free market in the Middle East as there is in Western Europe. And a higher percentage of Palestinians (82%) than any Western European public agrees that people are better off in a free market economy, even though some are rich and some are poor.

In most predominantly Muslim nations surveyed, there is less enthusiasm for the new president, with one clear exception. President Obama is very popular in Indonesia, the nation with the largest Muslim population, where Obama spent part of his childhood.

Even in Muslim nations where his ratings tend to be negative however, Obama is generally more popular than his predecessor. For instance, only one-in-three Turks have confidence in Obama’s foreign affairs leadership, but this is still a solid improvement from last year, when only 2% voiced confidence in President George W. Bush.

Looking at the 21 countries surveyed in both 2008 and 2009, Obama consistently receives far more positive reviews than Bush did. Across these countries, a median of 71% say they have a lot or some confidence in Obama to do the right thing in world affairs. Last year a median of only 17% expressed confidence in Bush. The gap between perceptions of Obama and his predecessor is enormous in many countries. This is particularly true in Western Europe, but large gaps can be found in other regions as well.

In most countries, large numbers say Obama’s election led them to have more favorable views of the United States, and there are high expectations for his presidency, specifically on the topics of climate change, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and multilateralism.

There also is widespread support for Obama’s policies: When asked to give an overall evaluation of the new administration’s international policies, solid majorities in most nations approve. In addition, Obama’s decisions to close the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and to withdraw combat forces from Iraq by 2011 are widely embraced. Obama’s economic stimulus package receives support in Western Europe, Japan and Canada. However, there is much less support for Obama’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan.

While there is considerable support for several of Obama’s policies, a multivariate analysis of the survey data from Western Europe and in predominantly Muslim nations in the Middle East suggests that attitudes toward the U.S. are more closely tied to overall confidence in Obama’s leadership in world affairs than to opinions about the president’s specific policies regarding Guantanamo, Iraq and Afghanistan. In both regions, the degree of confidence people have in Obama is a stronger predictor of whether they have a favorable view of the U.S.

Sky High Ratings in Europe, Much Less Confidence in Middle East

President Obama receives very high ratings in Western Europe and Canada. In Germany (93%) and France (91%) more than nine-in-ten say they have a lot or some confidence in Obama to do the right thing in world affairs. Canadians (88%) and the British (86%) are similarly enthusiastic. More than seven-in-ten (72%) Spanish respondents share this view, about the same level of support that Obama receives in the United States (74%).

In Western Europe, Obama receives far higher ratings than Bush did in 2008, during his final year in office. The percentage of Germans who have confidence in Obama is 79 points higher than the percentage who felt this way about Bush last year. Corresponding shifts have taken place in France (+78 points), Britain (+70), Spain (+64) and Canada (+60).

In Poland, a European Union country in which attitudes toward the U.S. remained relatively positive in the Bush era, 62% have confidence in Obama, up from the 41% who expressed confidence in Bush.

Confidence in Obama also runs extremely high in the two African countries included in the survey. In the country where his father was born, Obama is almost universally popular – 94% of Kenyans have a positive view of his leadership. Even before Obama’s election, Kenyans generally held positive views of the U.S., and President Bush also received quite positive reactions from Kenyans in 2007 (72% confident). About nine-in-ten (88%) Nigerians also voice confidence in Obama, compared with 55% for Bush a year ago.

Latin Americans have much more positive attitudes toward Obama than they did toward Bush. Roughly three-in-four Brazilians (76%) have confidence that Obama will do the right thing in world affairs, while only 17% felt this way about Bush. In Argentina, confidence in Bush was in the single digits (7%), but now 61% have confidence in Obama. The shift has been only slightly less dramatic in Mexico, where 16% had confidence in Bush last year, while 55% now say this about Obama.

Obama earns favorable reviews in Asia as well. Obama is far more popular in Japan (85%) than was his predecessor (25%). Similarly, large majorities express confidence in Obama in South Korea (81%), India (77%), and China (62%), and in each country this new president gets much better marks than Bush did.

About seven-in-ten (71%) Indonesians have confidence in Obama, up from 23% for Bush in 2008. In other majority Muslim countries, however, views are far less positive. In Egypt (42%) and Jordan (31%) far fewer say they trust Obama’s leadership in foreign affairs, although in both countries there is more support for Obama than there was for Bush. Similarly, confidence in Obama is 31 percentage points higher than Bush’s 2008 rating in Turkey, where Obama paid a highly publicized visit in April.

Overall, Lebanese are divided over Obama, with 46% expressing confidence in his leadership and 50% saying they do not have confidence in him. However, this masks considerable differences among Lebanon’s three major religious groups. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Sunni Muslims have a positive view, compared with only 26% of Shia Muslims. And Christians are split, with 46% saying they have a lot or some confidence in the new American president and 45% saying they have not too much or no confidence at all.

Obama receives his lowest ratings in Pakistan and the Palestinian territories. Just 13% of Pakistanis have confidence in him, while 51% see him negatively, and a large share (36%) offers no opinion. Three-in-four Palestinians have a negative opinion of Obama, while only 23% see him positively.

Israel is the only country in which there is parity between ratings for Obama and previous ratings for Bush. Just over half (56%) of Israelis are confident Obama will do the right thing in international affairs, virtually unchanged from the 57% who said the same about Bush in 2007. Obama is popular among Israel’s Muslim community – roughly two-thirds (68%) voice confidence in Obama, a considerably higher rating than Bush received among Israeli Muslims in 2003 (31%).

There is only one non-Muslim nation in which opinions of Obama are on balance negative: Slightly more Russians say they lack confidence (40%) in the new president than say they have confidence (37%) in him.

Kenyans and Indonesians Aware of Obama Ties

Obama’s family connections to Kenya and Indonesia are well-known in those countries. Nearly everyone surveyed in Kenya (96%) is aware that Obama’s father was Kenyan. And roughly eight-in-ten (79%) Indonesians are aware that the new president lived there as a child.

Obama also has a personal connection to Pakistan, where his mother once worked, but few Pakistanis (8%) are aware of this fact.

Most Say Election Improved Their Opinion of U.S.

In most countries surveyed, majorities or pluralities say the election of Barack Obama led them to have a more favorable view of the United States. Again Western Europe, and especially France (93% more favorable) and Germany (91%), stand out in this regard.

Pakistanis, however, are the least likely to say Obama’s election improved their opinion of the U.S. (9%); more than twice as many (23%) say his election made them feel less favorably toward the United States. Many Pakistanis (42%) have no opinion on this question.

In Israel opinion is more evenly divided, with 40% saying more favorable and 40% saying less favorable. Next door in the Palestinian territories, opinions also are divided, with 37% saying the election led them to have a more favorable view and 30% a less favorable opinion. In neighboring Jordan, more than four-in-ten (44%) volunteer that the election had no impact on their attitude toward the U.S.

In general, reactions to Obama’s victory are quite different from reactions to the re-election of George W. Bush four years earlier. Among the 15 countries asked about Bush’s re-election in 2005, there was no country in which a majority or plurality said his re-election led them to have a more favorable view of the U.S. In nations such as Germany, France, and Canada, roughly three-in-four said it caused them to have a less favorable opinion.

Examining the 13 nations that were surveyed in both 2005 and 2009 illustrates the vastly different reactions to the two most recent U.S. presidential elections. Whereas 77% of Germans said Bush’s re-election made them less favorably disposed toward the U.S., only 1% feel this way about Obama’s win. Similar gaps can be found in other Western European nations. However, these large differences are not only present in Western Europe; Russians, Indians, and publics in several majority-Muslim countries also reacted more favorably to Obama’s election.

High Expectations for Obama

Many around the world have high expectations for the way President Obama will approach international policymaking. Substantial numbers in most countries believe he will act in a multilateral fashion, weighing the interests of other nations in his decisions and seeking international approval before using military force.

In 16 of 24 countries surveyed, majorities or pluralities think Obama will consider the interests of countries like theirs when making foreign policy decisions. And in the United States, a large majority (85%) believes Obama will take into account the interests of other countries. Similarly, majorities or pluralities in 17 of 25 nations (including the U.S.) believe Obama will seek international approval before using military force.

The belief that Obama will follow these approaches to foreign policy is especially widespread in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe, although the Spanish are divided over whether he will think about the interests of countries like Spain – 47% say he will, 47% say he will not.

Arab publics are more skeptical on both of these questions. For instance, roughly two-thirds of Lebanese (68%), Palestinians (66%), and Jordanians (66%) do not think the president will consider their interests. In neighboring Israel, most (56%) feel he will think about their interests, although a significant minority (39%) say he will not.

On both questions, Turks and Pakistanis exhibit the most skepticism about Obama’s multilateralism. Less than one-quarter in Turkey and Pakistan think Obama will consider their interests when making policy or seek approval from other nations before using military force.

Interestingly, Russia and China – two countries with veto power on the United Nations Security Council – are among the least likely to believe Obama will try to get international approval before deploying force. In both former Cold War rivals of the U.S., only 29% hold this view.

Meanwhile, 85% of Americans say Obama will consider other countries’ interests in his decision-making and roughly seven-in-ten (72%) think he will look for international approval before using U.S. military force.

Respondents also were asked about Obama’s policies toward the Middle East. In 18 of 25 nations surveyed, public opinion leans toward the view that Obama will be fair in dealing with the Israelis and the Palestinians. By 53% to 40%, more Israelis say Obama will be fair in addressing this situation. By contrast, just 27% of Palestinians say he will be fair, while 70% say he will not.

More generally, relatively few Arabs surveyed believe Obama’s Middle East policy will be fair. Large majorities of Jordanians (69%), Egyptians (66%) and Lebanese (63%) think he will not be fair.

On the question of climate change, expectations are high for Obama’s approach. Again, EU nations, Canada and the U.S. are especially likely to believe the president will address this subject, with majorities saying Obama will “get the U.S. to take significant measures to control global climate change.”

Some publics that are skeptical of Obama’s approach to other issues, such as the Lebanese and Palestinians, believe that Obama will address climate change. It is worth noting that in many countries, including Pakistan, Turkey, Russia, Argentina and Mexico, large numbers are unable to offer an opinion on this question.

Views of Obama’s Policies

Overall evaluations of President Obama’s international policies are generally positive. In 20 of 25 nations, those who approve of his international policies outnumber those who disapprove.

Support is especially high in France (93%), Germany (92%), Kenya (88%), Nigeria (85%), and Brazil (80%). More than two-thirds (68%) of Americans also endorse Obama’s foreign policies.

Support is considerably lower in many predominantly Muslim nations. Half or more in Jordan (60%), the Palestinian territories (54%) and Egypt (50%) say they disapprove of Obama’s policies.

Nearly half of Pakistanis do not offer an opinion (46%); most of those who do offer an opinion – 42% overall – say they disapprove of Obama’s international policies. Turks are almost evenly divided in their views (34% approve, 37% disapprove), although 29% do not give an opinion.

In addition to overall evaluations of Obama’s international policies, respondents were asked about several of the new president’s specific policies, including his initiatives on Guantanamo, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Obama’s decision to close the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is universally popular. More approve than disapprove of this policy in all nations, with one exception: the United States. Americans are closely divided on this issue – 45% approve, 47% disapprove. There are sharp partisan differences on this question, as 65% of Democrats approve, compared with 45% of independents and just 18% of Republicans.

Among the Arab publics surveyed, this proposal is very popular, especially among Palestinians (93% approve) and Lebanese (91%). More than eight-in-ten also back this idea in Germany (84%), France and Spain (82% each).

Obama’s pledge to withdraw combat forces from Iraq by December 2011 also is overwhelmingly popular across the nations surveyed. In all 25 nations, more approve of this plan than disapprove, including 70% of Americans, and at least eight-in-ten in the four Western European countries and Canada.

Withdrawing from Iraq also is popular among Iraq’s neighbors. Roughly nine-in-ten Palestinians (92%), 85% of Lebanese, and 72% of Jordanians back this proposal. It is slightly less popular in Egypt (59%) and Turkey (55%), although approval outweighs disapproval by solid margins in both countries. A slim majority of Israelis (53%) want U.S. forces out of Iraq by the end of 2011; but at 35%, Israel is the nation with the largest share of people saying they disapprove of this plan.

India is the only country in which less than a majority says they approve of withdrawing troops from Iraq, although the percentage who approves (43%) is nearly double the percentage who disapproves (22%).

The publics surveyed express much more negative opinions about Obama’s decision to send additional troops to Afghanistan. While Obama’s decision is endorsed by 54% of Americans, majorities or pluralities in only four other nations approve of this policy: Israel (54%), Kenya (53%), Nigeria (49%) and India (38%).

Despite the president’s calls for NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan, there is opposition to such action in Germany (63% disapprove), France (62%), Poland (57%), Canada (55%), Britain (51%), Spain (50%), and Turkey (49%).

Opposition also is widespread in majority Muslim nations, with 84% of Palestinians and roughly two-thirds of Lebanese (67%), Jordanians (66%), and Egyptians (64%) saying they disapprove. Even in Indonesia, where support for Obama runs high, 66% oppose this policy.

Opinions About Obama’s Stimulus Plan

In Western Europe, Japan, Canada and the United States, respondents were asked about Obama’s policy of stimulating the U.S. economy through government spending. While Americans are only slightly more likely to approve (51%) of this idea than to disapprove (45%), there is more support elsewhere.

In France, 84% approve of Obama’s stimulus spending. Despite German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s criticism of U.S. stimulus spending, nearly three-quarters of Germans (74%) approve of Obama’s stimulus policy. Majorities also agree with the stimulus spending in Japan (72%), Britain (71%), Canada (70%) and Spain (61%).

Could a Minority Candidate Win in Western Europe?

Overwhelmingly, Western Europeans have reacted favorably to the election of an African American president in the U.S., but many are doubtful that a minority candidate could win in their countries.

By slim margins, those surveyed in Germany (54% possible, 45% not possible), France (53% possible, 47% not possible) and Britain (51% possible, 46% not possible) say it is possible that a minority candidate could be elected as leader of their country in the near future. Opinions on this issue are quite different, however, in Spain, where only 27% believe a minority candidate could be elected as prime minister of their country.

Younger people are especially likely to believe a minority candidate could win in both Britain and Germany. Roughly six-in-ten (59%) British 18-29 year-olds say it is possible, compared with 51% of 30-49 year-olds and 47% of those age 50 and older.

Similarly, about two-thirds (68%) of 18-29 year-old Germans think a candidate of non-German origin could be elected, compared with 63% of those age 30-49 and just 42% of people age 50 and over.

In contrast, polls in Western Europe have frequently found more support for the Palestinians than the Israelis, as was the case in a 2007 survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project. In France, 43% said they sympathized with the Palestinians — the highest percentage of the six Western European countries surveyed at that time. About a third of the French (32%) said they sympathized more with Israel, while 16% said they sympathized with neither side in the conflict.

In Sweden, Great Britain, and Spain, somewhat greater percentages sympathized with the Palestinians than Israel. By contrast, about a third of Germans (34%) said they sympathized more with Israel, 21% said they sympathized more with the Palestinians, while a relatively large minority (34%) said they sympathized with neither side.

In Italy, however, fully half of respondents volunteered that they sympathized with neither side; by contrast, 16% of Italians said they sympathized with the Palestinians and just 9% with Israel. More Italians said they sympathized with neither side than in any of the 47 countries surveyed in 2007.¹

While Americans and Europeans generally take different sides in the conflict, ideology matters on both sides of the Atlantic. In the United States, self-described conservatives sympathize more with Israel than with the Palestinians by greater than seven-to-one (60% to 8%). Far more moderates also sympathize with Israel rather than the Palestinians (50% to 11%). More liberals sympathize with Israel than the Palestinians, though by a much smaller margin than do moderates or conservatives (33% Israel vs. 21% Palestinians).

There was a similar ideological pattern in opinions about the Mideast dispute in the 2007 Global Attitudes survey in Western Europe. Looking at combined data from six Western European countries, in every ideological group there was far less sympathy for Israel and far more sympathy for the Palestinians than in roughly comparable groups in the United States.²

Among Western European respondents who rated themselves on the political right on a six-point scale, 29% said they sympathized with Israel, 22% the Palestinians and more than a third (34%) said they sympathized with neither side. Western Europeans who placed themselves in the political center were evenly divided: similar percentages sympathized with the Palestinians (27%) and Israel (24%), while 31% sympathized with neither side.

Western Europeans who placed themselves on the left expressed strong support for the Palestinians: more than twice as many sympathized more with the Palestinians than with Israel (41% to 19%); 22% said they sympathized with neither side in the Middle East dispute.

U.S. Views of Middle East Conflict

In the United States, ideological and political differences in Middle East sympathies have increased in recent years. In a survey conducted in early September 2001, shortly before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 47% of conservatives said they sympathized more with Israel than the Palestinians, compared with 39% of liberals and 36% of moderates.

In August 2006, following Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon, 64% of conservatives said they sympathized more with Israel, compared with 49% of moderates and 42% of liberals. In the most recent Pew Research survey, conducted Jan. 7-11 among 1,503 Americans, nearly twice as many conservatives as liberals said they sympathize more with Israel (60% vs. 33%).

The gap between conservatives and liberals is much wider than it was in 2001, but the differences between moderates and liberals have increased as well. Moderates and liberals were about equally likely to sympathize with Israel in 2001; currently, 50% of moderates say they sympathize more with Israel than with the Palestinians, compared with 33% of liberals.

Partisan differences in Middle East opinions also have grown dramatically since 2001. Nearly seven-in-ten Republicans (69%) now say they sympathize more with Israel than the Palestinians; just 42% of Democrats agree. In early September 2001, 50% of Republicans sympathized more with Israel, compared with 38% of Democrats.

Religion has long been a major factor in opinions about the Middle East, with white evangelical Protestants consistently expressing greater support for Israel than members of other religious groups. Yet those differences are not substantially larger today than in early September 2001.