MOSCOW, March 28 (RIA Novosti), Daria Chernyshova - The slump in US President Barack Obama's approval rating is not surprising and the President's hawkish stance encourages disenchantment among Americans, experts believe.
The situation in Ukraine has simultaneously led to both the steep decline for the US president and a sharp rise in Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval rating, which has approached an all-time high.
Foreign policy has become a drag on Obama's second term, with 60 percent of Americans disapproving of the president's actions in the sphere of international diplomacy. Peter Lavelle, host of the CrossTalk program on the RT network, attributes the slump to a combination of factors.
"Obama is a very weak foreign policy president. It's obvious he lacks interest and knowledge of global affairs. In fact, he has delegated his foreign affairs portfolio to a small number of amateurs: Samantha Powers, Susan Rice and Ben Rhodes. They and others have grossly and badly served this president," Lavelle told RIA Novosti.
Lavelle noted that media distortions of recent events in Ukraine and relations with Russia have undermined the possibility of a coherent foreign policy coming out of the White House.
"Mainstream media is very aggressive and for the most part always anti-Russia and anti-Vladimir Putin," Lavelle said. "This US president faces a dilemma - react in favor of bellicose media or be seen as weak. Obama, as usual, compromises and in the end dissatisfies virtually everyone."
Americans are growing tired of foreign engagement when no readily apparent American interest is at stake, Lavelle said.
A recent Associated Press-GfK poll found that a majority of Americans disapprove of Obama's handling of the Ukraine situation (57 percent) and his interactions with Russia (54 percent).
According to another poll conducted by CBS News and released Wednesday, 43 percent of Americans believe the United States' image in the world has worsened since Obama took office, an increase from 2009, when 60 percent said the country's image had improved.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval rating has reached 80 percent, with a majority of Russians saying the country is heading in the right direction, an independent pollster said Wednesday.
A poll by the Levada Center said public support for the Russian leader has increased by 8 percent since Putin delivered an address to parliament on Crimea, just before the predominantly Russian-speaking region rejoined Russia last week.
Alexei Mukhin, President of the Center for Political Information, said that Putin's rating will keep growing "under the West's hysteric pressure." He believes that economic sanctions and other pressure will boost Putin's approval rating in Russia.
Political scientist Alexander Konkov believes the same event accounts for both Obama's failure and Putin's success - the situation in Ukraine. He also recalled that Obama entered the White House with the intention to end the country's overseas military campaigns.
"But in response to the events in the Crimea, Obama demonstrated a hawkish approach in his rhetoric, in his words and in his actions. I think the Americans are tired of the country's military adventures. And the poll demonstrates their disenchantment in Obama's aggressive stance," Konkov said.
The approval ratings of the Russian and American presidents clearly demonstrate that one person's success is another's failure.
