Poll: Obama, headed to Middle East, is winning Arab hearts

[babylonsister]

Poll: Obama, headed to Middle East, is winning Arab hearts

By William Douglas | McClatchy Newspapers


WASHINGTON — As President Barack Obama prepares to journey to Egypt on June 4 to address the Muslim world, his overtures to the Middle East are paying off in positive feelings towards him from Arab peoples that far outpace the region's critical view of the United States itself, according to a new McClatchy/Ipsos Poll.

The poll of six Arab nations found that residents think that Obama will have a positive impact on the Middle East — a region marked by war, religious disputes, ethnic and sectarian violence — as well as on the United States and the rest of the world.

Obama scored highest in Jordan, where 58 percent of its citizens have a favorable opinion of him, 29 percent have an unfavorable view, 6 percent had no opinion and 7 percent didn't know.

Saudi Arabians have a 53 percent favorable opinion of Obama, followed by 52 percent in the United Arab Emirates. From there, Obama's popularity dips below 50 percent with a 47 percent favorability rating in Kuwait, 43 percent in Lebanon and 35 percent in Egypt. In none of these countries, however, was Obama's unfavorable rating higher than his favorable one.

In contrast, only 38 percent of Saudis have a favorable view of the United States, followed by 36 percent of Jordanians, 34 percent of UAE residents, 31 percent of Lebanese and 22 percent of Egyptians.

more...

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/67869.html

[democrattotheend]

1. That's encouraging

If he can keep that up (which won't be easy, given the geopolitical realities) that alone could really make a difference in how we are perceived. That was one of the things that I argued during the campaign - that having Obama as president would make us more safe because it would be harder for terrorists to rally support against the US with Barack Obama as the face of our country.