Obama More Popular Than US in Mideast

Jordan is Obama's biggest fan in new survey of Arab world
By Jess Kilby,  Newser Staff
Posted May 11, 2009 5:49 AM CDT
Obama More Popular Than US in Mideast
President Barack Obama meets with King Abdullah of Jordan in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 21, 2009.   (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A new survey has found President Obama to be more popular in the Middle East than the country he leads, and analysts say he may be able to use that goodwill to help restore America’s relations with the region. The president has an average approval rating of 48% across the six countries polled, while the US comes in at just 33%, Reuters reports.

Obama scored the highest marks in Jordan, with a 58% approval rating. His lowest score of 35% came from Egypt, where he’s scheduled to deliver a much-anticipated address to the Muslim world next month. The US scored a dismal 22% approval among Egyptians. The survey polled 7,000 respondents and also included Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Lebanon.
(More President Obama stories.)

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