Only a small percentage of Turkish respondents believed that US relations with other countries would be worse during the Obama presidency while about 30 percent believed they would stay about the same.
Russians and Japanese were the least optimistic about the Obama presidency, with around 47 percent believing that the US’s world relations would improve. The most optimistic people were in Europe; nearly 80 percent of the people surveyed in Italy and Germany, for example, believed that US relations with the rest of the world would improve under Obama’s presidency.
Six months ago, a similar BBC poll held before Obama was elected indicated that just 47 percent of all respondents thought he would improve US relations with the rest of the world if elected.
Across the 17 countries polled, 72 percent of respondents said dealing with the global financial crisis should be a top priority for Obama. That was followed by withdrawing US forces from Iraq, which 50 percent believed was a top priority. Addressing climate change was third, followed by brokering peace in the Middle East and supporting the Afghan government against the Taliban.
Americans were also polled in the survey. About 60 percent of Americans thought improving US relations with the rest of the world should be Obama’s top priority.
The BBC World Service questioned people between Nov. 24, 2008 and Jan. 5, 2009. The poll was conducted on more than 17,000 people in 17 countries: Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the US.
Benzer Haberler 
National
