Since 9/11, the U.S.’s image around the world has gone from one extreme to the other. In particular, after the U.S. invaded Iraq, it basically took a nosedive. Where does it stand today? As reported by the Associated Press/Salon.com, a new survey shows that the U.S. had the third worst negative image around the world, as more people had a negative view of the U.S. than even North Korea:

The survey for the British Broadcasting Corp.’s World Service asked more than 28,000 people to rate 12 countries -- Britain, Canada, China, France, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, North Korea, Russia, the United States and Venezuela -- as having a positive or negative influence on the world.

Israel was viewed negatively by 56 percent of respondents and positively by 17 percent; for Iran, the figures were 54 percent and 18 percent. The United States had the third-highest negative ranking, with 51 percent citing it as a bad influence and 30 percent as a good one. Next was North Korea, which was viewed negatively by 48 percent and positively by 19 percent.

Canada had the most positive rating in the survey, with 54 percent viewing it positively and 14 percent negatively. It was followed by Japan and France. . . . Britain, China and India were viewed more positively than negatively, while Russia had more negative than positive responses. Opinion on Venezuela was evenly split.

“It appears that people around the world tend to look negatively on countries whose profile is marked by the pursuit of military power,” said Steven Kull, director of the University of Maryland’s Program on International Policy Attitudes, which conducted the research along with pollster GlobeScan. “Countries that relate to the world primarily through soft power, like France and Japan and the EU in general, tend to be viewed positively,” he added.

More people think North Korea has a positive influence in the world than the U.S.?!? Bush needs to know that he’s sunk pretty low when people around the world think that an eccentric and unstable dictator who starves his own people while indulging in western luxuries is seen in a more positive light than him. Nice work, Dub . . . maybe you can try harder next time to get to the very bottom, below Iran and Israel.