American Allies Now See America as Greater Threat to Peace Than Red China, Poll Shows

A new poll shows that Canadians see America as a greater threat to world peace than Russia or China, a view shared by sizeable numbers of people in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.Russia is still seen as the greatest threat by residents of Europe’s leading powers, where the war in Ukraine looms large. But even there, America is seen as a greater threat than China, according to the poll commissioned by Politico in partnership with British polling firm Public First.The poll follows a year in which America has rattled its allies with threats to seize Greenland and turn Canada into a 51st state. One in four respondents in the United Kingdom now sees the greatest threat as coming from America, far more than China.Anxiety about America is highest in Canada, where 48 percent identified it as the greatest threat compared to 29 percent who selected Russia. Some 58 percent said Washington is not a reliable ally and 42 percent said it is no longer an ally of Canada at all.In Britain, 56 percent of respondents saw Russia as the greatest threat, while 25 percent identified America and only 7 percent chose China. The numbers were similar in France and Germany where 20 and 19 percent respectively saw America as the greatest threat.President Trump has had an adversarial relationship with many Western allies and an especially contentious relationship with Ottawa. He has repeatedly suggested Canada become a 51st state and has put punishing tariffs on goods not covered by a trilateral trade agreement between America, Mexico, and Canada. Most recently he threatened to block the opening of a new bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.In a stark speech last month at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting at Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke of a “rupture” in the rules-based international order.Canada has also moved to warm relations with Beijing. After a state dinner hosted by China’s President Xi Jinping on January 16, the two leaders committed their countries to a “new strategic partnership.”Mr. Trump warned Mr. Carney that trade deals made with the People’s Republic of China would result in a 100 percent tariff on all Canadian goods entering America. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later said that is not an imminent threat and would only come if the two countries took further steps to remove their respective trade barriers.The poll found that 57 percent of Canadians now say it is better to depend on China than America under Mr. Trump. That is more than double the 23 percent who believe it is better to depend on Washington.Canadians do express some optimism for the future. Nearly half of those polled thought that while ties with Washington are weaker under Mr. Trump, they will recover after he is gone.

American Allies Now See America as Greater Threat to Peace Than Red China, Poll Shows

American Allies Now See America as Greater Threat to Peace Than Red China, Poll Shows

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