Muslim nations are angry at the U.S. and many Europeans want a diplomatic and military divorce from Washington

WASHINGTON, March 18 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – A year after the invasion of Iraq, majorities in nine world countries feel much mistrust of the United States and its foreign policies, a global attitude survey said this week.

The survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center on Tuesday, March 16, found that discontent with Washington and its policies “intensified rather than diminished” after the Iraq invasion.

Among the coalition of the “unwilling”, large majorities in Germany, France and Russia still believe their countries made the right decision in not taking part in the invasion, the Washington-based group said of the survey on its website.

Large majorities in Russia, France, Germany, Morocco, Turkey, Pakistan — and 58% in Britain and 50% in Jordan — said that the invasion had diminished their trust in the United States. But 58% of Americans thought the opposite.

Most of those polled in Germany, France, Russia, Turkey, Pakistan and Jordan — and 48% of Moroccans — said they believed that American and British leaders lied when they claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

One year into the invasion of Iraq by U.S. and British forces, no weapons of mass destruction have been found, raising fears the strikes on the oil-rich country were based on false pretexts.   

Disturbing

“There's considerable support for making the European Union as powerful as the United States,” Kohut

There is broad agreement in nearly all of the countries surveyed – the U.S. being a notable exception – that attacking Iraq hurt, rather than helped, the so-called war on terrorism.

Majorities in six countries and 48% in Russia said that the United States is not sincere in its motives for the war on terrorism. Only Americans say that they have more confidence than before the invasion that the United States wants to promote democracy around the world.

A growing number in Western Europe also think that the United States is overreacting to the threat of terrorism.

Many people in France (57%) and Germany (49%) have come to agree with the widespread view in the Muslim countries surveyed that America is exaggerating the terrorist threat.

“It is disturbing that Americans are the only ones surveyed who believe the war in Iraq helped, rather than hurt, in fighting Al Qaeda,” said Madeleine Albright, who served as secretary of State under President Clinton.

“It is also troubling that the Iraqi conflict has caused each of the other countries polled to lose confidence in America's honesty and commitment to democracy,” Albright was quoted by press reports as saying.

Still, American backing for the invasion is still slipping, down to 60 percent, from 74 percent in May, the poll unveiled.

A survey carried out in August 2003 showed that half of the Americans do not want to see Bush reelected as a president for the U.S., which was regarded as a direct result of the American refusal to the Iraq invasion.

British Opposition

“It is disturbing that Americans are the only ones surveyed who believe the war in Iraq helped, rather than hurt, in fighting Al Qaeda,” Albright

Conspicuous in a country staunchly supporting Washington’s invasion of Iraq and the so-called war on terrorism, support for the decision to join the offensive has plummeted in Britain from 61% last May to 43% in the current survey.

In an earlier survey by the Financial Times in December, 64 percent of Britons vocalized dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Tony Blair and 50 percent maintained he should step down.

The slipping support was seen as a threat for Prime Minister Tony Blair ‘s governments and others which backed the offensive.

Spain, one of main allies of Washington in Iraq, witnessed the fall of the conservative Popular Party (PP) of former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar because of his support for the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq.

The loss of Aznar, a staunch supporter for the invasion of Iraq and the controversial "war on terrorism", in the elections sent shockwaves to the White House and Downing Street where hopes were pinned on success for a key ally in the Anglo-American invasion.

The poll was carried out between February 19 and March 3 before Madrid blasts which left 200 people dead and 1,400 others injured on March 11.

As Powerful

The survey found what was seen as a growing desire among European countries for a balance of power between the European Union and the United States.

"Europeans want to check our power," said Kohut.

"There's considerable support for making the European Union as powerful as the United States," he added.

At least two-thirds of people living in France, Germany, Russia and Turkey thought it would be a good thing if the European Union becomes as powerful as the United States. Turkey and Russia are not currently members of the European Union.

Oil, World Domination

For a majority of people in four great Muslim countries believe the United States is conducting its "war on terrorism" to control the Middle East oil and to dominate the world, an international poll unveiled.

The poll found those in Muslim countries are less confident that the U.S.-British invasion would improve the lot of the Iraqi people.

 In the four predominantly Muslim countries surveyed, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, and Turkey, opposition to the offensive remains nearly universal.

The four governments have strong ties with the U.S. administration.

Cynicism and anger, dominant among the Muslim-majority countries towards the United States, remained very high, said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center.

In Jordan, no less than 70% of survey respondents think the Iraqis will be worse off with the Anglo-American invasion.

Even in Turkey, as many as 31% say that attacks against Americans and other Westerners in Iraq are justifiable.