Global opinion toward Russia is plummeting

[HMS Astute]

With Russia escalating its military involvement in eastern Ukraine to its highest levels yet, reportedly sending as many as 1,200 troops plus 30 tanks across the border to bolster its separatist rebel proxies, it's worth looking at one way that Russia has paid for its Ukraine aggression: global opinion toward Russia is plummeting.

You can see how rapidly world opinion is turning against Moscow in this map from Pew's recent report on attitudes toward Russia.

Europeans are increasingly hostile toward Russia — as is almost everyone else

Russia is most unpopular in Poland, which, as a long-suffering Soviet puppet state, is exceptionally alarmed about Russia's recent invasion of Crimea and its sponsorship of separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. In Poland, only 12 percent say they have a favorable view of Russia, with 81 percent holding an unfavorable view. The rates are not much higher in the rest of Europe, which is part of why European leaders are becoming much more willing to impose tough sanctions on Russia, even at some cost to European economies.

But Russia is also deeply unpopular in the Middle East. This is most true in Turkey, where only 16 percent hold a favorable view of the country, with 73 percent holding an unfavorable view. This may be a result of Russia's sponsorship of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who has been able to get away with slaughtering thousands of civilians in that country's civil war in part because Moscow shields him from international action.

Russia is not universally reviled. It has an astounding 75 percent approval rating in Vietnam, which may be in large part due to Russia's long-standing support for the Vietnamese communist government against the country's historical enemy, China. Russian support for Vietnam as a balance against China has been rising in recent years as well. China and Greece also report mostly favorable views toward Russia (66 and 61 percent), perhaps because they see Moscow as challenging the West, which is viewed with deep distrust in both countries.


http://www.pewglobal.org/files/2014/07/PG-2014-07-09-Russia-Favorability.pdf

This map is very bad news for Vladimir Putin - Vox

 

[pmaitra]

Pew Research is one of the many politically motivated "research" sources, and it has been critically analysed here.

BTW, if "global" indicates "Europeans," or western Europeans to be precise, then yes, this survey is legit.

 

[prohumanity]

Pew research is West's propaganda tool..is funded by western interests to distort, misrepresent and tell white lies...covered in "scientific" surveys.....HMS...you are naive...you don't get the underground game of brainwashing by sophisticated, veiled propaganda. The truth is Vladimir Putin is most admired World Leader in 2014. But, Pew will ask only a handful of carefully selected people who they know will answer the way they want to be answered.

 

[HMS Astute]

Pakistan > Poland. I'm literally speechless and wonder what have russies done to pakis.

Anyway, most people in the US and UK and any other countries involved in the Iraq war in 2003 think the war was a bad thing, many people protested against it before the war even began, most people didn't like it while it was happening, and most people now still think it was a grave error in judgement, and the rating of G Bush and T Blair plummeted to levels that almost no former leader in those countries can equal, and Britain and the US's international rating also took a major hit which they are only recently getting back.....and that's from a simple invasion to find non-existent weapons of mass destruction, not a full imperial-style annexation of land!

So don't give me this bullshit that it's all a western conspiracy and that it's only American media that's playing this thing out, it's what naturally happens when countries in the modern world invade others....you can't do that in the 21st century and expect to be treated well by the international community.

And btw, before this whole situation, Russia's standing and opinion in the west I'd say was actually pretty good, or should I say before Putin came into office and started his ego-mania...sure, it may not have been great before, because lets face it, Russia has never been known internationally as the bastion of freedom, prosperity, equal rights and hospitable people, but it had been getting better year on year since the end of the Cold War....something Putin has undone in one idiotic move! Anyhow, the map is utterly BS.

 

[Samar Rathi]

Wow just saw this map few months ago with another title so good Photoshop skills.

false data

• Vietnam doesn't favour Russia more than china any more as Russia is aligned with China hence their faith is shifting towards west.
• More than 70 % people favour Russia in India.

The list goes on...

 

[Samar Rathi]

Pakistan > Poland. I'm literally speechless and wonder what have russies done to pakis.

It is possible as Pakistani people has done Phd in hating others. It's the result of their doctrine in Afghanistan against USSR . ( When they want to fight someone then they start brainwashing their population)

 

[HMS Astute]

Instead of the map, this table can portray the situation better.

 

[Samar Rathi]

The trouble is that the U.S. doesn't know hot to pick its fights and doesn't know what victory is or how to achieve it.

On Iraq, Libya, Syria, the Russians were right and the U.S. government wrong, as everyone who knows anything is aware. They also warned the U.S. about the threat of Islamic terrorism before 9/11 and of the Boston bombers. For their warnings Russia has received no credit in the West and have even had it used against them, either for being "obstructionist" or, deeply embarrassing, for not having done more than they were obliged to do, as in the case of the Boston Bombings.

Russia is an essential ally when it comes to nuclear proliferation, terrorism, China, and space exploration. And while she is no conventional threat to the U.S. Russia is capable of creating military and diplomatic nightmares for the West - by selling advanced SAMs to Iran for example, something Russia has not yet done out of consideration to Israel and the United States.

The policy of seeking confrontation with Russia is frankly irrational and reflects very poorly on the U.S. government and on our Russophobic media.

 

[asianobserve]

This negative international opinion towards Russia will not affect Putin since his domestic ratings is soaring. Russians are feeling so nationalistic right now that they couldn't care less what the rest of the World thinks about their country.

 

[HMS Astute]

This negative international opinion towards Russia will not affect Putin since his domestic ratings is soaring.

That's because the entire Russia was seen as a joke and failed state before Putin came into power.

 

[Samar Rathi]

That's because the entire Russia was seen as a joke and failed state before Putin came into power.



Indeed, even a monkey could have turned things around with all the oil and gas money.

That's just show how mature you are by calling president with names. Keep doing that guys so world know who is on drugs in this world. Also if oil and gas was the key i am deeply disappointed in IRAQ and suppose they need a monkey too.

 

[HMS Astute]

That's just show how mature you are by calling president with names. Keep doing that guys so world know who is on drugs in this world. Also if oil and gas was the key i am deeply disappointed in IRAQ and suppose they need a monkey too.

 

[Samar Rathi]

 

[asianobserve]

That's because the entire Russia was seen as a joke and failed state before Putin came into power.

Much like how Germans saw Germany after WW1 before Hitler came to power. I know association with Hitler is quiet too much for Putin but there are really undeniable parallels/similarities between their circumstances.

 

[alphacentury]

Phew, looks like they clearly missed DFI .

 

[Ray]

Actually none cares what plummets and what rises, unless it affect them directly.

 

[jouni]

Instead of the map, this table can portray the situation better.

It is interesting that there is no Nordic countries in that list. Traditionally we do not shout out load our opinions, it is because we have been "living next to the bear" for all our history. Our policy is quite clear: have good relations and at the same time have strong military and unified population, so that the cost for the possible aggression would be high. That itself is some kind of deterrent.

 

[asianobserve]

Actually none cares what plummets and what rises, unless it affect them directly.

Actually, "all politics are local." So Putin wouldn't really care about how other people in other countries perceive him.

 

[Ray]

Actually, "all politics are local." So Putin wouldn't really care about how other people in other countries perceive him.

Countries that depend on others, are the one that worries about what the others think about them so that they don't upset the gravy train.

It all depends if Russia depends on other for their gravy train.

The jury is out.

 

[JBH22]

Such a pile of sh1t.

Russia stood for its interest and the whole world knows it. Europe has to know its no longer the center of the world.

Russia under Putin is far better than under Yeltsin drunkard who was called democrat by western bigots. In short strong Russia will make EU pee in their pants.