Seventy-eight percent of Egyptians believe that the US is “hypocritical” because it does not follow the international laws it promotes in other countries, a recent World Public Opinion poll showed.
The poll also showed that 62 percent of Egyptians believe that the US abuses its power to serve its own interests, leaving only 34 percent saying that the US more often treats Egypt fairly.
The World Public Opinion Organization, a collaborative research project involving research centers from around the world and managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland, released the poll on July 7, 2009 and surveyed 19,923 respondents in 20 nations that comprise 62 percent of the world’s population.
While people in 13 nations say they have confidence in President Barack Obama, the US foreign policy continues to receive heavy criticism.
“The US is criticized for coercing other nations with its superior power, failing to abide by international law, and for how it is dealing with climate change,” the study said, “Overall, views are mixed on whether the US is playing a mainly positive or negative role in the world.”
In all but four nations — Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq and Turkey — a majority or plurality says that the US is "generally cooperative with other countries.”