[Viral] 25 Countries Not Particularly Fond Of America
http://www.viralsharer.com/2015/08/viral-25-countries-not-particularly.html
It’s no secret that there are a lot of countries not particularly fond of America and are not afraid to voice their displeasure. So let’s take a look at which countries these are. But, before we move on with this list there are a few things we need to clarify. First, trying to figure out what people think of a country like the US is complicated. Consider that many people in the world probably dislike America for the same reasons that Americans dislike America. But you wouldn’t say that those Americans hate America right? Of course not. One person might dislike the President, another might dislike some specific foreign policies, others might dislike some stereotypical (and probably inaccurate) American attitude. In fact, in many places you’ll have extreme love and hate living side by side. So just like you can’t stereotype by saying that all Americans are fake, trigger happy, overly friendly, and fat, you can’t generalize by saying that every (insert your favorite nationality) hates America. That would be a gross oversimplification. With that said, there have been several polls taken lately (in a small number of countries) to determine what people think of America. These polls were primarily conducted by Pew Research and BBC. For the sake of our list we created a composite. Because the various polls didn’t come to exactly the same conclusions (some countries were rated differently on each one) we only included countries that expressed negative opinions of the US in more than one poll. With all of that said, these are 25 Countries Not Particularly Fond Of America.
Source: TheList25
25
Germany
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
So it might seem odd to see one of the US’s strongest allies on this list. But you need look no further than the recent NSA scandals to figure out why.
24
Argentina
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Ever since World War II the Argentinian public has been split on polls concerning America. These days they’re not too negative but they’re not all that positive either.
23
Serbia
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Ever since the NATO bombings in 1999 there have been hot spots of extreme anti-American sentiment in this small balkan nation.
22
Greece
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Although Greek opinions of the United States are at record lows, opinions of the European Union are even lower.
21
Malaysia
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Most likely due to a dislike of American policies towards other Muslim nations only 27% of Malaysians view America favorably.
20
Syria
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In a divided nation like Syria it is exceedingly difficult to parse out the anti-American sentiment from the pro-American sentiment. The Kurds have an extremely favorable stance towards America while ISIS would be the polar opposite. It’s a land of extremes and foreign relations is no exception.
19
Venezuela
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Ever since socialist president Hugo Chavez took office in 1999 tensions between Venezuela and the United States have increased and diplomatic relations were even severed at one point. In spite of these riffs, in several recent polls a surprisingly high number (62%) of Venezuelans expressed positive views of the US. This number was 84% in 2002.
18
Turkey
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
A long standing member of NATO, ever since World War II Turkey has been a strong ally of the United States. Due primarily to the recent war in Iraq, however, relations have soured in the last decade. Although there are still a large number of people who see the US positively, many have come to view the Iraq war as destabilizing the region.
17
Indonesia
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Although its population doesn’t always have the warmest views of American influence, their views are probably much more positive than you would think. In 2002 61% of Indonesians viewed America favorably. In 2014 that number had dropped slightly to 59%.
16
Tunisia
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
A poll taken in 2012 showed that 45% of Tunisians view the US favorably. Although there have been low points in the relationship (especially when Israel bombed the PLO headquarters in Tunis), both countries have managed to maintain diplomatic relations since 1795.
15
Jordan
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In spite of being a strong ally of the US in the Middle East, popular opinion of American influence is extremely low. Thanks in large part to the Iraq War, some Pew Research polls have shown that nearly 99% of people had negative views of the US in 2003. Lately that number has fallen to 85%.
14
Libya
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
A Gallup poll recently concluded that Libyans have “among the highest approval” of US leadership in all of the Middle East (about 54%).
13
Algeria
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
One of the first countries to recognize the independence of the United States in 1783, Algeria has always been one of America’s stronger allies in North Africa. Polls show that popular opinion, however, is split just about down the middle.
12
Lebanon
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Another country that has been severely affected by decades of conflict in the Middle East, public opinion of the United States tends to be very divided. Similar to Syria and Iraq, it is quite possible to find opinions ranging all the way from one extreme to the other. This is complicated by the fact that Lebanon is a very diverse country in terms of religion and ethnicity.
11
Belarus
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
With close ties to Russia, it is perhaps not surprising that according to Pew polls only 20% of Belarusians approved of US leadership, the fourth lowest rating for any nation in Europe.
10
Egypt
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In spite of constant aid support from America, the Egyptian public does not have the highest opinion of US policies. Once again there are vast differences depending on who you are asking but in general Egypt is home to some extremely negative views.
9
Iraq
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Similar to Syria, it is hard to take an exact reading of who likes/dislikes whom in a country as volatile as Iraq, but in general there are certainly vast regions where you can find extreme anti-American sentiment.
8
China
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Chinese popular opinion of the United States varies significantly over time as well as between different surveys. The highest favorable opinion was in 2010 at 58% and the lowest in 2007 at 38%.
7
Afghanistan
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Ever since the war in Afghanistan that started in 2001 there is plenty of pro and anti American sentiment going around.
6
Yemen
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
According to a US Global Leadership report in 2012 only 18% of Yemenis approved of American leadership.
5
Pakistan
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Although US ratings have been relatively high in a number of Asian countries, Pakistan is one country where opinion of US leadership is always slightly lower.
4
Iran
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution diplomatic ties between the two nations were severed. According to polls, popular opinion of America is actually not quite as low as one might think although there are certainly very strong areas of anti-American sentiment, especially with regards to the government and leadership.
3
Palestinian Territories
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In the Pew polls the only nations that had a worse assessment of American influence were Russia and Jordan.
2
Russia
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: pixabay
Although popular opinion of American was on the upswing (but still relatively low) over the course of the last few decades, it has plummeted recently, primarily due to the Ukraine conflict. Only 15% of Russians have a positive view of the US.
1
North Korea
Source: Gallup, Pew, BBC, wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Although polls are impossible to conduct in the hermit kingdom, reports suggest that intensive government propaganda and control of media do not allow citizens access to any positive views of American influence leaving it nearly impossible to formulate any independent, positive assessment of US policies.