Poll: US, Israel biggest threats in region

In a landmark speech in Egypt last summer, President Obama vowed “a new beginning” between the United States and Muslims worldwide. Now, 14 months later, a poll finds opinion in the Arab world has turned strongly against the president.

Zogby International polled 3,976 people in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In last year’s survey, conducted in April and May 2009, 51% of respondents expressed optimism about US policy in the Middle East.
This year’s poll finds a stark turnaround: 64% were “discouraged” and only 16% were “optimistic.”
The United States and Israeli regime are viewed as far biggest threats to the region.
“What this poll reveals is a backlash against the United States, reflecting the loss of hope that people had in what they thought were to be the policies of the new President Obama,” said Shibley Telhami, a University of Maryland Middle East expert, who conducted the poll with Zogby.

Source: AlAlam