Losing global support.

Byline: The Register-Guard

As George W. Bush enters the last lap of his second term as president, he confronts a troubling legacy. Despite his passion about defending freedom and spreading democracy, his policies have pushed the United States' reputation to new lows in much of the world.

The nation isn't just losing the battle for hearts and minds in the Muslim world. Growing numbers of people worldwide blame the United States for "hurting the world's environment the most" and for promoting policies that widen the gap between rich and poor nations.

The latest Pew Global Attitudes Project survey, which interviewed more than 45,000 respondents in 46 countries and the Palestinian Territories during April and early May, found that, "Global distrust of American leadership is reflected in increasing disapproval of the cornerstones of U.S. foreign policy."

The focal point of that disapproval is the Iraq war. In 43 of the 47 countries surveyed, the proportion of the population saying the United States should withdraw its troops from Iraq ranged from a low of 50 percent (Britain and South Africa) to a high of 93 percent in the Palestinian Territories.

Widespread opposition to the U.S. occupation of Iraq appears to have accelerated erosion of support for U.S.-backed NATO military operations in Afghanistan. Majorities in 32 countries - including 80 percent or more in Argentina, Egypt, Bangladesh, Indonesia and China - said NATO should leave Afghanistan.

Whether the United States is seen as a global savior or a Great Satan varies in different countries. Overall, views of America remain favorable among majorities in 25 of the 47 countries, particularly sub-Saharan African nations, Israel, Japan, South Korea and Poland.

But Bush's "freedom agenda" isn't playing well in much of the world. The Pew researchers found "a broad and deepening dislike of American values and a global backlash against the spread of American ideas and customs."

It's no surprise that U.S. military operations draw criticism, but global concern about U.S. contributions to environmental problems is beginning to increase sharply. In 34 of the 37 countries surveyed on the question, the United States was named either by a majority or a plurality as the country that is "hurting the world's environment the most."

China was the second-most frequently named country as the source of environmental problems.

The worldwide increase in concern about the environment points out a pivotal shortcoming in the Bush administration's post-Sept. 11 foreign policy. It doesn't work to declare a war on terror and divide the planet into "us vs. them" camps.

People everywhere increasingly realize that solutions to global problems such as terrorism, poverty and climate change require more emphasis on how to get all of "us" to cooperate if we hope to deprive "them" of the conditions that feed hatred, perpetuate injustice and breed suicide bombers.