Still the one!

More than two decades after "Rocky IV," the United States has once again proven its superiority over Russia. A year-old poll (23 countries, 23,000 people) says most countries want Europe to lead the world, instead of the United States.

The US edges out Russia for the dubious distinction of having the largest number of countries rating it as having a negative influence in the world, with 15 countries saying it has a negative influence and just 6 countries viewing it as positive.

On average, a plurality of 47 percent view US influence in the world as mostly negative, while 38 percent view it as mostly positive and 15 percent did not answer either way. The countries most negative towards the US are Argentina (65%), Germany (64%), Russia (63%), Turkey (62%), Canada (60%) and Mexico (57%). Majorities see US influence as positive in the Philippines (88%), South Africa (56%), India (54%), Poland (52%), and South Korea (52%). A plurality of Italians (49%) are also positive. Interestingly the French were only moderately negative about US influence, with 54 percent viewing it negatively—mirroring the 52 percent of Americans who view France negatively.

Another interesting poll I learned about this year from Ralph Begleiter was a poll of Australians. You know, Australians. The guys with the kangaroos. They even speak English. We're still training their F-111 pilots. Surely they like us, right?

When we asked respondents to rate a series of potential threats, we discovered that by one measure both Islamic fundamentalism and United States foreign policies are worrying to 57% of Australians: a startling equivalence.

Or maybe not.