Nobody likes us, but there’s some optimism on Iraq

This Pew Report, America’s Image Further Erodes, Europeans Want Weaker Ties…But Post-War Iraq Will Be Better Off, Most Say, is worth reading. Here’s a good graph, but there’s a lot more there.

Another interesting quote from the report: “More than seven-in-ten of the French (73%) and Germans (71% ) see the Iraqi public benefiting from the end of the war. Only in Russia and Turkey is there significant pessimism that war may worsen conditions in the region.” Here’s hoping the French and Germans are right. Another fairly optimistic sentiment: Russia and Turkey are the only two countries that see the war destabilizing the Middle East.
AB

UPDATE: Matt Yglesias points out that it’s a bit hard to understand how, given the quote above, France and Germany could still oppose the war. I also think it’s a bit odd and spent some time pondering the question. Upon reflection, it’s not entirely inconsistent. Here’s the actual survey question: “If Iraq is disarmed and Saddam Hussein is removed from power by the U.S. and its allies, do you think the people of Iraq will be better off or worse off in the long run than they are now?” Whether or not the French and Germans are contradicting themselves depends on how long the long run is, and also what the responders took “and its allies” to mean. If accurate, though, these 70+% numbers suggest that more–and more deftly handled–statesmanship may well have been able to win UN, or at least NATO, approval for a second resolution with “automaticity”.