Nations Approve of Obama Policies Generally — but Not Specifically
In 16 of 21 countries, majorities or pluralities approve of Obama’s international policies generally — but that number falls to 7 with respect to his handling of the Middle East.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
In addition to other, more conventional social and religious movements, a number of networks built around religious scholars or popular preachers also have a lot of influence among Muslims in Western Europe. While these networks are in many ways separate and distinct from other groups, they often intersect with and draw on the influence of […]
With the oil still gushing, BP making new efforts to stanch the spill and the Obama Administration taking a more aggressive line toward the energy company, the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico accounted for a third of last week’s news coverage. No other story came close although a deadly encounter on a boat headed for the Gaza Strip finished as the No. 2 subject.
By roughly three-to-one (71%-23%), most Americans approve of Obama’s decision to sign an arms control treaty with Russia, reducing the number of nuclear weapons in both countries. A somewhat smaller majority (64%) also approves of Obama’s recent declaration that the U.S. will not use nuclear weapons against countries that do not possess them; 30% disapprove […]
Passions ran high as the blogosphere was consumed with the deadly confrontation between Israeli forces and a supply ship headed for Gaza last week. On Twitter, stories about European soccer led the week. And on YouTube, videos of the Mavi Marmara incident drew significant interest along with a toddler with an unhealthy addiction.
Even as the story died down in the mainstream media last week, bloggers continued to debate the Israeli interdiction of a Turkish supply ship that left nine people dead. On Twitter, the focus on computer giant Apple continued. And on YouTube, a startling car accident drew more than three million hits.
European campaigns to ban burqas, the Swiss vote to bar new construction of minarets and attempted terrorist acts in the United States have renewed questions and concerns about the compatibility of Islam with Western society. Swiss-born scholar and philosopher of Islam Tariq Ramadan has written and spoken on the subject, generating widespread debate and reaction. […]
Overview The public remains doggedly downbeat about the condition of the national economy, even as many experts and economists see signs of recovery. As has been the case for most of the past two years, about nine-in-ten (88%) rate national economic conditions as only fair or poor, and over the past year there has been […]
After a year of passionate debate, health-care reform dominated the news agenda last week leading up to a key vote by the House of Representatives, with the media focused on head counts, horse trading and the political calculus for legislators. No other story came close, but the economy once again finished as runner up.