Voice of the people: US glory as a global power is melting, Moscow and Beijing are gaining more sympathy

US popularity as a global power is falling globally, especially in Muslim-majority countries, according to the 2024 Democracy Perceptions Index report published in Wednesday, writes the European edition of Politico.

Covering around 63,000 respondents in 53 countries, the index summarizes attitudes towards democracy, geopolitics and world powers.

As Politico writes, America's international reputation has taken a hit since the beginning of 2023, especially in Muslim countries, where Washington's unwavering support for Israel in the Gaza war has been an important factor.

Now Europe is joining the trend. "For the first time since the beginning of the Biden administration, many Western European countries have returned to more negative perceptions of the United States. This rise and fall, from negative attitudes to positive [and] back to negative attitudes, is particularly sharp in Germany, Austria, Ireland, Belgium and Switzerland,” says Frederic De Veu, senior researcher at research firm Latana, which compiles the Index.

Meanwhile, positive perceptions of China in Asia, North Africa, the Middle East and Latin America continue to grow, bringing Beijing's global perception to net positive, despite continued European skepticism.

Russia, which is grappling with overwhelming negative perception around the world in the initial aftermath of its military intervention in Ukraine, also appears to be on the way to a resurgence in image in most regions surveyed, with the exception of Europe.

"For the first time since the beginning of the Biden administration, many Western European countries have returned to net negative perceptions of the United States,” said Frederic De Veu.

America's faltering popularity, combined with the better positions of Russia and China, means that the latter are now viewed as positively as the US in most of the Middle East, North Africa and Asia countries surveyed.

More than just a global popularity contest, the attitudes expressed in the index can affect the ability of governments to deter or respond to aggression by global powers. In Germany, for example, domestic discontent over rising energy prices fueled protests and opposition to restrictions on Russian oil imports following Moscow's attack on Ukraine in February 2022.

The divide between the global North and South was evident when respondents were asked whether they thought their country should cut economic ties with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, and whether they should do the same if China invaded Taiwan.

Attitudes appear to have softened, judging by a comparison of results from 2022 and 2024. In the earlier survey, more respondents supported cutting economic ties with Russia than opposed in 31 countries; the number is now 23.

Moreover, with few exceptions, majorities in favor of severing economic ties have declined in most countries.

While the US generally remains the most popular, as far as the public is concerned, on the world stage, cracks are beginning to show among the populations of once staunch Western European allies, as Russia and China gain popularity in other regions.