Greeted as liberators..."Poll: Nearly 6 in 10 Pakistanis view US as the enemy"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Poll: Nearly 6 in 10 Pakistanis view US as the enemy

By The Associated Press
Thursday, July 29th, 2010 -- 2:28 pm

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0729/poll-6-10-pakistanis-view-enemy/

Despite billions in aid from Washington and a shared threat from extremists, Pakistanis have an overwhelmingly negative view of the United States, according to results of a Pew Research Center poll released Thursday.

The survey also found that Pakistanis have grown less fearful of extremists seizing control of their country, perhaps reflecting gains that government troops have made against militants since early 2009.

Most Pakistanis want improved relations with the United States, according to the poll. But most view the U.S. with suspicion, support for American involvement in the fight against extremists has declined, and nearly two-thirds want U.S. troops out of neighboring Afghanistan.

Nearly six in 10 Pakistanis polled described the U.S. as an enemy and only one in 10 called it a partner.

Public attitudes in Pakistan figure importantly in the Obama administration's strategy for strengthening the U.S. partnership with Pakistan to help defeat al-Qaida and stabilize Afghanistan. Another U.S. worry is the prospect of Pakistan's nuclear weapons falling into the hands of militants.

The Obama administration persuaded Congress this year to approve $7.5 billion in aid to Pakistan over five years. Since the 9/11 attacks the U.S. had provided Pakistan with billions linked to counterterrorist work. On a visit to Pakistan last week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced a raft of new aid projects worth $500 million.

[Ken Burch]

1. The people of Eastern Europe greeted the Red Army as liberators...

Mind you, they did that BEFORE they knew the "liberators" would stay for forty years.

[Radical Activist]

2. That's all?

I would have expected more.