Heckuva job, Brownie
Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images Defenders of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown say that his staggeringly low popularity is the result of economic forces that have voters everywhere angry at their leaders. Not so fast, says the BBC. If you compare the net approval ratings (those who approve minus those who disapprove) for leaders around ...
Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Defenders of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown say that his staggeringly low popularity is the result of economic forces that have voters everywhere angry at their leaders. Not so fast, says the BBC. If you compare the net approval ratings (those who approve minus those who disapprove) for leaders around the world, Brown still comes out looking pretty bad.
Medvedev (Russia) +47
Rudd (Aus) +25
Berlusconi (Italy) +13
Merkel (Germany) +2
Sarkozy (France) -8
Harper (Can) -11
Bush (US) -33
Fukuda (Jap) -34
Brown (UK) -47
Ouch. Keep in mind that Yasuo Fukuda’s low popularity led to his resignation this month and that Bush’s approval ratings are among the lowest in American history.
As for Berlusconi and Medvedev, maintaining control over most of your country’s media certainly seems to help your image. An Economist blogger also quips about a “post-invasion bump” for the Russian president.
Joshua Keating is a former associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
More from Foreign Policy

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose
Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy
The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now
In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet
As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.