Canadians at the head of nations afraid of the US, Poles – without surprise

Canadians at the forefront of the Americas

The results of the latest Pew investigation Center survey show increasing tensions in the perception of global powers. This is peculiarly evident in the case of the United States, which for many countries are at the same time the most crucial ally and the top threat. 1 of the most eloquent examples of this paradox is Canada.

As many as 59% of Canadians identified the United States as the biggest threat to their country – this is the highest score in the full study. Interestingly, at the same time, 55% of Canadians consider the US to be the most crucial ally. This divided shows not only tension in cross-border relations, but besides the deep ambivalence of Canadians towards Washington politics, especially in the context of fresh years under Donald Trump.

A akin pattern – albeit on a smaller scale – is besides seen in Mexico. 68% of respondents in this country considered the US to be the biggest threat, with 37% acknowledging it as a key ally. Mixed feelings are besides noticeable in South America – both the most crucial allies and the main threats were found in Argentina and Brazil.

Against the background of this ambiguity, another powers have a clearer image. Russia is considered the biggest threat mainly in Europe. In Poland, as many as 81% of respondents indicated Moscow as the main origin of threat – this is the highest score of all countries covered by the survey. akin sentiments prevail in Sweden (77%), Germany (59%), the Netherlands (57%) and the UK (49%). This image reflects concerns about Kremlin's aggressive policy, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine.

China, on the another hand, is seen as the biggest threat primarily in the Asia-Pacific region. In Japan and Australia, more than half of respondents (53% and 52%) considered Beijing the most serious threat. By comparison, in Poland only 1% of respondents indicated China as the biggest threat and in Germany 7%.

It is worth looking at the data concerning Germany and Poland. Russia remains the biggest threat in Germany, and the US has only been declared a threat by 16% of the respondents. However, the United States is besides a origin of strategical uncertainty – only 20% The Germans consider them to be the most crucial ally, and a crucial part points to the European Union or France. In Poland, the image is more unambiguous. Russia is simply a dominant threat in the eyes of 81% of respondents, and only 2% have identified the United States as the top danger. At the same time, as many as 43% of Poles recognise the USA as the most crucial ally – this is 1 of the highest results in Europe. By comparison, Germany as an ally indicated only 13% of Poles.

Germany has besides appeared on the list of threats, although only in 1 country – Turkey. There, 30% of respondents considered Germany the biggest threat, making them the second most frequently identified threat in Turkish society, immediately after the US (32%). This is 1 of the fewer cases where the European country is seen as a real geopolitical threat. The sources of these concerns can be found in the tense political relations between Ankara and Berlin, in peculiar in the context of migration, Turkey's membership of NATO and the criticism of Turkish home policy by the German authorities.

The survey besides shows that the perception of allies varies diametrically from region to region of the world. Israel, Japan and South Korea are by far the closest to the US - 95%, 78% and 89% respectively of respondents in these countries consider the United States to be the most crucial ally. In India and Australia, this percent is 35% and in the UK it is 51%. For European countries, specified as Germany, France and Sweden, the USA are an crucial partner, but frequently the seats of the European Union, France or Germany are giving up. In Nigeria and Kenya, answers are divided – the US is simply a shared ally with China there. In Turkey, he almost completely dominated this category... deficiency of trust – only 2% of respondents identified any country as the most crucial ally and the US received marginal support there.

The survey illustrates the increasing polarization in the global perception of the top powers. For many U.S. countries, they inactive play a key function as a safety guarantor, but they are increasingly besides a origin of concern. Russia remains a dominant threat in Europe and China remains a dominant threat in the Asia-Pacific region. These results shed light on the changing architecture of global alliances and fears, in which geography, past and current policies merge in an unobvious way.