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| Europe | |
| Poll Shows Slump in Trust Between French, Americans | |
| 2005-06-17 | |
| PARIS - Trust between the French and Americans has slumped to its lowest level in 17 years, more than two years after a bitter feud over the Iraq war, an opinion poll showed on Friday. The TNS-Sofres survey of 1,000 people in each country showed only 31 percent of French people have any "sympathy" for Americans, down from 39 percent in 2002. Only 35 percent of Americans like the French, a drop from 50 percent in 2002, according to the poll, published in the Le Monde newspaper. French President Jacques Chirac infuriated Washington and helped create anti-French feeling by his opposition to the Iraq war and his advocacy of a world in which the European Union would counterbalance U.S. power. Americans retaliated by renaming French fries "freedom fries" and some even stopped buying French wine. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited France in February to help repair ties. She was greeted warmly and her visit was deemed successful. The survey showed an overwhelming 70 percent of French people believe the United States is not a loyal ally. Fifty-six percent of Americans said France was not a reliable partner. French people with left-wing views are most likely to be hostile to Americans, the survey found. Left-wing French voters drove France's rejection last month of the EU constitution. Many who voted 'No' said they feared the charter would impose U.S.-style free-market economics on Europe. In the United States, Democrats and the black community have a better image of France while 39 percent of Republicans said they do not like France. French people openly supported French-speaking Democrat John Kerry in last November's presidential election, infuriating President Bush's Republican supporters.
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| Posted by:Steve |
| #11 never fear! The arrogance of De Villepin is here to guide you primitive Americans to a more Gallic-central world! Pfeh! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-06-17 19:21 |
| #10 Okay, what spooked 'em in '88? Reagan? Missiles? Where's the surprise meter? |
| Posted by: Angie Schultz 2005-06-17 18:22 |
| #9 lowest level in 17 years... ? Okay, what spooked 'em in '88? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-06-17 18:08 |
| #8 The lack of trust coefficient between the US and the French has fallen so low that it can only be expressed as a negative number times the square root of negative 1. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-06-17 18:07 |
| #7 "Only 35 percent of Americans like the French, ..." Wasn't there a poll recently in EUrope that showed even less than that level of love for the French by other EUniks? |
| Posted by: Xbalanke 2005-06-17 18:06 |
| #6 "slump in trust" Yeah: to -374, I think. Well below zero, in any case. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-06-17 16:59 |
| #5 I trust the French - to screw us over every chance they get. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2005-06-17 16:44 |
| #4 Love it, Raj...too true. I think the WashUpPost is being generous saying that "35% of Americans" still trust the Frogs. Hatred of the French is the most universal sentiment I've found in the 2+ years since they put that fine Sabatier cutlery in our posterior. Let's face it, the French weren't that popular here before they betrayed us... |
| Posted by: Jennie Taliaferro 2005-06-17 16:01 |
| #3 Yeah, I'll trust the French, soon as I take this freakin' knife out of my back... |
| Posted by: Raj 2005-06-17 15:55 |
| #2 Bingo, RC. WaPo: Worthless Agenda-Pushing Onanists |
| Posted by: .com 2005-06-17 14:55 |
| #1 What trust? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-06-17 14:39 |