Americans see US power on the wane

For the first time in nearly 40 years, most Americans believe their country's influence is on the decline and that the United States wields less global power than it did a decade ago.
A majority also believes for the first time that America should "mind its own business," while faulting President Barack Obama for his foreign policy, especially over Syria.
The findings are the result of a Pew Research Centre poll of some 2,003 people carried out in conjunction with the Council on Foreign Relations between October 30 and November 6.
"For the first time in surveys dating back nearly 40 years, a majority (53 per cent) says the United States plays a less important and powerful role as a world leader than it did a decade ago," the centre says in its report.

That finding is up 12 points from 2009 and has more than doubled since 2004, during the administration of then president George W Bush.
Seventy per cent of those surveyed also said the United States commanded less respect than it did in the past, matching levels seen towards the end of Bush's second term.

Foreign policy, which was once seen as one of Obama's strengths as he sought to repair the battered US image abroad, was also sharply criticised.
"By a 56 per cent to 34 per cent margin more disapprove than approve of his handling of foreign policy," the poll found.

"The public also disapproves of his handling of Syria, Iran, China and Afghanistan by wide margins."
For the first time in nearly half a century of doing such polls, Pew found that skepticism about US international engagement was sharply on the rise.
Some 52 per cent of those polled believed the United States "should mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along the best they can on their own," with just 38 per cent disagreeing with the statement.
Those who said that the US does "too much" to try to solve the world's problems -- some 51 per cent -- mostly believed that domestic issues including the economy should be the administration's primary focus.

However, despite the growing numbers opposed to global US engagement there was support for a global economy with 77 percent saying growing trade and business ties with other countries was good for the US.
Obama, however, was also found lacking when it comes to foreign policy, with the public giving him a job rating of less than 40 per cent for his handling of nine out of 10 overseas challenges.
These included Syria and Afghanistan, with 57 per cent disapproving of his policy towards both war-torn countries; climate change where he scored a 46 per cent disapproval rating and Iran and China, in which 53 per cent and 52 per cent of those polled took issue with Obama's policies.