Europeans see US as threat to peace

Europeans consistently regard the US as the biggest threat to world stability, a new poll reveals on July 2. A survey carried out in June by Harris Research for the Financial Times shows that 32 percent of respondents in five European countries regard the US as a bigger threat than any other state. In the US itself, North Korea and Iran are seen as the biggest risks. However, the youngest US respondents share the Europeans' view that theirs is the biggest threat, with 35 percent of US 16- to 24-year-olds identifying it as the chief danger to stability. The level of European concern about the US has remained broadly consistent over the past year. In 11 previous polls dating back to July 2006 the proportion of respondents considering the US a threat to stability has ranged between 28 percent and 38 percent. "It is evidence of the continued estrangement between the European public and the Bush administration, in spite of a real improvement in official ties," said Ron Asmus, head of the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund, which works to bolster transatlantic ties. "It is proof that the next president will be confronted with the major challenge of improving America's image abroad, starting with Europe and our main allies." Inhabitants of Spain are most concerned about the US, with 46 percent of respondents naming the United States as the biggest threat. European poll respondents -- who also come from France, Germany, Italy and the UK -- are increasingly concerned about China, which 19 percent perceive as the biggest threat, up from 12 percent last July. Meanwhile, 17 percent identify Iran as the biggest threat, 11 percent Iraq and 9 percent North Korea. Only 5 percent single out Russia, despite increased tensions between Moscow and the west. The poll is consistent with findings last week by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, which found that favorable ratings of the US had declined in 26 of 33 countries over the past five years. The survey for the Financial Times was carried out online by Harris Interactive between July 2006 and June 2007. More than 1,000 people were polled in each country each month.