Most Americans don’t have a problem with the United States obeying international law or subjecting itself to rulings by the International Court of Justice, according to a new global survey. The poll conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org found that of the 21 nations surveyed, only in Pakistan and Mexico did a plurality of people approve of their government refusing to abide by international laws if the government said it conflicted with national interests.
WorldPublicOpinion.org polled a total of 20,202 respondents in 21 nations that make up 64% of the world’s population, including
China,
India,
Indonesia, Nigeria,
Russia,
Mexico,
Chile,
Germany, the
United Kingdom, and
France.
China had the highest favorability for obeying international law (74%), while
Pakistan had the lowest (38%). The U.S. response was 69%. Fifty-seven percent of Americans also said they were confident that the World Court would be fair and impartial in a case involving the United States, while 42% were not confident of the Court’s impartiality.
-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky