Presidential Polls: Global Polls Show Only Two Countries Want Romney in the Oval Office

While the citizens of the United States prepare to select their next president, the rest of the world will watch without having a say in the matter. The Commander-in-Chief always influences world affairs around the globe and some countries feel more comfortable about the American calling the shots as opposed to others. A recent BBC World Service opinion poll detailed that a majority of countries around the globe favor Obama over Romney.

But which countries are in the minority, wanting Mitt Romney to win the election and take the reigns?

1. Israel: Given President Obama’s statements about returning to the pre-1967 borders between the feuding Middle Eastern nations known as Israel and Palestine, this should be no surprise. The Arab Spring has left the Middle East in a perpetual state of flux and the region has gone through a substantial amount of change. The recent development with Iran’s nuclear capabilities always has Israel’s attention and the Obama administration openly stated that it wishes to distance itself from Israel. All of these factors point to the conclusion that Israel would rather have Mitt Romney in the White House instead of Barack Obama.

Many times during the debates, Romney expressed that he was disappointed with how President Obama has handled America's relationship with Israel, especially harping on the fact that Obama did not stop in Israel during Obama’s trip to the Middle East early in his term. Romney called it the “Apology Tour.” The Arab Spring has shifted the way that the world views the Middle East and how the Middle East views itself. The people have spoken that they do not want more of the same with the dictators such as Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Libya's Moammar Qaddafi. With the changes occurring, they are bound to permeate Israel’s dominant position in the region. The U.S. has always backed Israel in this position but that very well could change if Obama gets another four years.

If Israel is to maintain its current position without having to compromise anything, it needs Romney at the table.

2. Pakistan: Unless you have lived under a rock for the last year and a half, you know that Seal Team 6 broke Pakistan’s sovereign border to complete the assassination of Osama bin Laden. Coupled with the high number of drone attacks that the U.S. has conducted in Pakistan since Obama came to office, Pakistan is not exactly thrilled with the current occupant of the Oval Office. In a Pew Research Center poll, a humble 7% of Pakistanis stated they had a favorable view of Barack Obama. That approval rating is worse than Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush.

In addition to the drone attacks, there have been several incidents that elicited Pakistan’s loathe for the Obama administration. In January 2011, an American CIA contractor killed two Pakistanis in Lahore. In November 2011, American NATO soldiers killed 24 Pakistani at a military outpost near the border with Afghanistan, which resulted in a closing of NATO supply routes by the Pakistani government. Tensions are always high with Pakistan and they will probably continue along the same route if Obama is given another four years.

It is not a sure-fire conclusion that if Romney is elected, the Pakistanis will be better off. But with the approval rating of seven percent of President Obama, it is safe to say that they will be more optimistic about a new Romney agenda in the White House than more of the same from the Obama administration.