Survey: US the Greatest Threat to World Peace

Nevertheless, One in Two Are Optimistic about the Future

No other nation on earth is a greater threat to peace than the United States. That is the conclusion of a joint survey conducted by the polling institute WiN/Gallup, in conjunction with the BBC.

Nearly one in four respondents worldwide named the U.S. when asked: “Which country do you currently consider the greatest threat to world peace?” In second and third place came Pakistan with 8 percent and China with 6 percent. Fourth place was shared by Afghanistan, Iran, Israel and North Korea, each with 5 percent.

The United States did especially poorly in those 60 nations affected by U.S. military intervention, particularly in North Africa and the Middle East. The U.S. was also often named in Peru, Brazil and Argentina. Even 13 percent of American citizens thought their country was the greatest danger to peace, while 17 percent of Germans shared that opinion.

The annual survey did offer some positive signals: About one-third of those surveyed said they thought there should be more women involved in politics and about half were optimistic about 2014 being a better year than 2013. The executive summary presented by Jean-Marc Leger, president of the WiN/Gallup organization, was titled “Optimism Is Back in the World.”