22nd October, 2004

DAVID ADAMS

It was perhaps not the most surprising news last week when 10 newspapers from around the world - including Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald and The Age - ran the results of surveys showing that while most people have a favorable view of Americans, their opinion of the United States had declined over the past two or three years.

In particular, most of those who responded indicated they have an unfavorable view of President George W. Bush.

In France, the poll revealed that 72 per cent of people want John Kerry to win the election while in Russia 52 per cent favored Bush. In Israel, 81 per cent of people surveyed said they had a favorable opinion of Americans while in Spain this figure came in at 47 per cent. In South Korea, 87 per cent of people believe the US wields excessive influence on international affairs while in Mexico 63 per cent of people believed the United States did contribute to world peace.

In Australia, the results showed that 54 per cent of people would prefer Kerry as president and that while 72 per cent of people have a favorable opinion of Americans, 54 per cent said their opinion of the US had worsened in the past few years.

So what can be drawn from it? Given that the world doesn’t vote, probably not much in terms of the upcoming US election. Except - and here’s why the survey can’t be simply dismissed - it does provide a useful barometer of how the world is reacting to the United State’s “war on terror” and more particularly the war in Iraq.

That’s important, given the US desire to make the war not just one of it’s own making but rather that of a “coalition of the willing”. Indeed the world was watching our own recent Federal election closely to see what effect Prime Minister John Howard’s support for President Bush would have on the local electorate - not much as it turned out with a campaign dominated by domestic - and particularly economic - issues.

What the surveys do indicate is that the world - or at least the world as represented in those countries which took part - remains in large part unconvinced about the role of the United States in international affairs in recent times.

Given its tremendously powerful position in today’s world, the United States, its President and Government has an enormous responsibility to provide justice where it can and to do right in the world.

The US election is not just about domestic issues; whoever is elected president will have a substantial influence on world affairs. As Christians living outside America we have a responsibility to be praying that it will be God’s influence that will pervade the White House after this election and not man’s.

In a world where no country “is an island”, we need to take an active role in praying not only for our own governments but for those of nations around the world. This is particularly true of a superpower such as the United States where the effect of decisions can quickly ripple throughout the world. An election represents a good time to do so.

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