Alghadeer TV Alghadeer TV
International approval of U.S. leadership declined in the wake of the final withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in August 2021 despite making notable gains since President Joe Biden came to office.
Median approval of U.S. leadership across 46 countries and territories stood at 49 percent in early August last year but appears to have slipped back in the second half of 2021, according to a new report from Gallup.
Gallup reported on Tuesday that median approval for U.S. leadership stood at 43 percent across 70 countries and territories in the second six months of 2021—after the drawdown of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, which ended on August 30.
Gallup pointed out that it was not entirely clear what effect the withdrawal from Afghanistan had had on approval of U.S. leadership and pointed to the fact that some countries surveyed in the second half of 2021—such as Iran—have previously rated U.S. leadership poorly.
The withdrawal from Afghanistan was highly controversial and garnered strong criticism mainly because the Taliban quickly gained control of the country amid chaotic scenes in the capital, Kabul, and because of the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and around 170 Afghans in a suicide bombing at the city’s airport.
Nonetheless, Biden still enjoys higher global approval than former President Donald Trump.
President Biden ended his first year with a median approval rating of 45 percent across 116 countries. This was higher than the rating enjoyed by Trump in the final year of his presidency when his approval on the same measure stood at 30 percent.
Gallup also noted that Biden’s approval is higher than “any of the previous ratings during the Trump administration.”
