There was a great article in Al Jazeera online today that talked about public opinion in different countries about the US election and US policies, and surprisingly we are much more popular in places like the Phillipines, Indonesia (biggest Muslim country in the world!), Turkey and Afghanistan than we are in most of Western Europe! I recommend checking it out here.

'...a PIPA poll, published in October, shows that the American people do not view the world so differently from the rest of us.

Actually, a clear majority of the Americans "showed strong support for multilateralism". Seventy-four per cent oppose the US taking Israel's side with regard to the conflict in Palestine - they want their country to be neutral. Why then the current Israel-friendly policies of the US government? One answer from PIPA's conclusion:

"The study found American leaders misperceive the public position on these issues, especially when it comes to multilateral initiatives ... most Americans mistakenly believe that Congress as a whole and their own representatives vote consistently with their preferences."'

It's an interesting examination of democracy in these days leading up to the election.