Allied nations: Bush more dangerous than Kim Jong-il

The United States is now seen as a threat to world peace by its closest neighbors and allies, according to an international survey of public opinion published on Nov. 3 that reveals just how far the country's reputation has fallen among former supporters since the invasion of Iraq. The research also shows that British voters see George Bush as a greater danger to world peace than either the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, or the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Both countries were once cited by the US president as part of an "axis of evil," but it is Bush who now alarms voters in countries with traditionally strong links to the US. The survey was carried out by the Guardian in Britain and leading newspapers in Israel (Haaretz), Canada (La Presse and Toronto Star) and Mexico (Reforma), using professional local opinion polling in each country. It exposes high levels of distrust. In Britain, 69 percent of those questioned say they believe US policy has made the world less safe since 2001, with only 7 percent thinking action in Iraq and Afghanistan has increased global security. The finding is mirrored in the US's immediate northern and southern neighbors, Canada and Mexico, with 62 percent of Canadians and 57 percent of Mexicans saying the world has become more dangerous because of US policy. Even in Israel, which has long looked to the US to guarantee national security, support for the US has slipped. Only one in four Israeli voters say that Bush has made the world safer, outweighed by the number who think he has added to the risk of international conflict, 36 percent to 25 percent. Voters in three of the four countries surveyed also overwhelmingly reject the decision to invade Iraq, with only Israeli voters in favor, 59 percent to 34 percent against. In Britain, 71 percent of voters now say the invasion was unjustified, a view shared by 89 percent of Mexicans and 73 percent of Canadians. As a result, Bush is ranked with some of his bitterest enemies as a cause of global anxiety. Bush is seen in Britain as a more dangerous man than the president of Iran (62 percent think he is a danger) and the North Korean leader (69 percent).