On the other hand, Barack Obama and the United States, in the eyes of American analysts, have largely failed to score points for their approach to the Syrian crisis. Over 70 percent of respondents stated that the US and Obama's reputation has been "somewhat weakened" or significantly weakened."
The survey does not provide additional information on specific steps or lack thereof affecting perceptions of the scholars. Nevertheless, to some extent it could be interpreted in terms of efficient or unproductive decision-making.
The US also failed to create a force capable of destroying the brutal Sunni group on the ground. More Western experts and policy-makers seem to agree that moderate rebels are an artificial concept.
In addition, less countries support Washington's approach to Syria according to which President Bashar al-Assad has to resign in order to bring peace to his country.
The poll was conducted by the Teaching, Research, and International Policy (TRIP) project at the College of William & Mary in collaboration with the Foreign Policy magazine in late September, with 694 analysts from colleges and universities across America taking part.
