World View

From the BBC:
"Americans see a US in decline, finds Pew survey"

For the first time in 40 years, a majority of Americans say the US plays a less important and powerful role in the world than it did a decade ago. The Pew survey also found that 70% of Americans saw the US as less respected than in the past, nearly the same (71%) as under President George W Bush. More than half of Americans (52%) - for the first time in 50 years - said the US should "mind its own business". Some 56% disapproved of President Barack Obama's foreign policy. Fifty-three percent of the public felt the US played a less important or powerful role as a world leader than a decade previously. The last time more than half of the public held that view was in 1974. A decade ago, just 20% of Americans felt the same way.  In Tuesday's survey, only 17% of Americans said the US had a more important or powerful role in world affairs than 10 years ago.  Republicans were more likely to view the US as having declined in influence - 74% of them thought so. But 55% of independents said the same thing, up from 23% in 2004. The survey also showed support for a less active US in world affairs. Some 51% of respondents said the US does "too much" to solve world problems.  Fifty-three percent of Republicans, 46% of Democrats and 55% of independents said the US should mind its own business. The public also thought the US should be less engaged internationally. A plurality of respondents (39%) believed the US should be less involved in seeking to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict.  Some 36% thought Washington's current level of engagement in that issue was enough. But the survey did not suggest an entirely isolationist outlook was taking hold among Americans. US support for more participation in the global economy has increased, it found. Some 77% said the growing trade and business ties between the US and other countries was a good thing.

However, there was a mistaken belief among many that China is the world's top economic power - 48% of respondents thought so. Just 31% correctly said it was the US. America's gross domestic product is nearly twice that of China, according to World Bank data, although the gap between the two has been closing. President Obama's foreign policy was approved of by only 34% of respondents in the Pew survey.  The public overwhelmingly viewed dimly his handling of Syria, Iran, China and Afghanistan. Only on terrorism did more respondents approve (51%) than disapprove of his approach.

^ It's interesting to see what ordinary Americans think of the country and how it deals (or doesn't) with the world. I have to agree with those that disapprove of how Syria, Iran, China and Afghanistan (and Libya) have been handled. While many may think the US has lost influence around the globe we are still the sole Super Power and as shown last October when the US Government almost went to the brink what happens in our country still greatly affects the rest of the world and so we still have that influence (for better or worse.) ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25193054