The world’s major powers have a serious image problem:
Public views of China and Russia have slipped considerably in the past year, according to a new BBC World Service poll across 21 countries.
Views of the US have improved modestly over the past year but remain predominantly negative, even though the poll was taken after President Obama’s election.
The Jewish state will probably regard this dismal result as evidence it needs to improve its PR budget as opposed to change its behaviour:
The largest number of countries – 19 out of 21 – give negative ratings to Israel. The two exceptions are Americans (where slightly more are positive) and Russians (who are divided). On average, 51 per cent in countries polled say it is having a negative influence and 21 per cent say it is having a positive influence.