In the past, while talking with students, listening to discussion in class or grading papers, I’ve often heard unsubstantiated claims such as “the world is not with President Bush”, or “even the Europeans hate us”, etc. Noting that these claims are unsubstantiated does not mean they are not true. What it does mean is that I need further proof of the veracity of the claims than simply the student’s recitation of that claim. Similarly, you should be skeptical in class if I try to claim something without providing evidence to support that claim. With respect to statements such as the ones I referenced above, the Pew Global Attitudes Project is a fantastic resource. This organization polls publics around the world on a host of issues related to international politics, international affairs, and the domestic ramifications of international events and issues.
So just how do people around the world view the United States, and how has that opinion changed since 2000? Well, look no further than this report here:
Now, if a student were to write, according to widely available survey evidence, Europeans (at least in Great Britain, France, Spain, and Germany) hold a much less favorable view of the US in 2006 than they did in 2000 (Pew Global 2006), then that would be more compelling.
Clouds, Clocks, and Sitting at Tables 
