British believe Bush is more dangerous than Kim Jong-il

America is seen by it's allies as one the greatest threats to world peace according to a new poll.

The poll reveals that British voters see George Bush as a greater threat than Kim Jong Il or Ahmadinejad of Iran.

The survey has been carried out by the Guardian in Britain and leading newspapers in Israel (Haaretz), Canada (La Presse and Toronto Star) and Mexico (Reforma), using professional local opinion polling in each country.

It exposes high levels of distrust. In Britain, 69% of those questioned say they believe US policy has made the world less safe since 2001, with only 7% thinking action in Iraq and Afghanistan has increased global security.

The finding is mirrored in America's immediate northern and southern neighbours, Canada and Mexico, with 62% of Canadians and 57% of Mexicans saying the world has become more dangerous because of US policy.

Even in Israel, which has long looked to America to guarantee national security, support for the US has slipped.

Only one in four Israeli voters say that Mr Bush has made the world safer, outweighed by the number who think he has added to the risk of international conflict, 36% to 25%. A further 30% say that at best he has made no difference.

Voters in three of the four countries surveyed also overwhelmingly reject the decision to invade Iraq, with only Israeli voters in favour, 59% to 34% against. Opinion against the war has hardened strongly since a similar survey before the US presidential election in 2004.

In Britain 71% of voters now say the invasion was unjustified, a view shared by 89% of Mexicans and 73% of Canadians. Canada is a Nato member whose troops are in action in Afghanistan. Neither do voters think America has helped advance democracy in developing countries, one of the justifications for deposing Saddam Hussein. Only 11% of Britons and 28% of Israelis think that has happened.

Indeed, the only person the poll identifies as a greater threat to world peace than George Bush is Osama bin Laden, and even then, it's not by a great margin. 87% identify bin Laden as a serious danger and 75% are saying the same about Bush.

This is hardly surprising when one considers the fact that Bush has tossed aside international law and is in charge of the largest army the world has ever known. Although, to cast your mind back six short years, it is unthinkable that Clinton would ever have been viewed in this manner.

Indeed, it is a direct consequence of the neo-con philosophy that America's military muscle should be used more often that has led traditional allies to view the US with such suspicion. This, coupled with the fact that the invasion of Iraq is viewed as so unnecessary across the globe, only adds to the feeling that the person most likely to start wars is actually the President of the USA.

Especially when one remembers the dreadful scenes in Lebanon and the way that Washington almost egged the Israelis on to their worst excesses.

The world is less safe with the neo-cons in charge of it. That is now official. I am only relieved that so many on the planet see things the way I do.

I was beginning to think I was losing my mind.

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tag: Bush, war on terror, Bin Laden, Kim Jong Il, threats to peace,