The Empire’s Mirror – How Western Imperialism has Alienated the Planet

What the report says

Antiwar.com published an analysis by Michael Holmes on July 27, 2026, arguing that the Democracy Perception Index 2026 undercuts common Western foreign-policy assumptions about global support for the United States and its allies. The article says the survey, conducted by Nira Data with the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, drew nationally representative responses from more than 94,000 people in 98 countries, covering over 90% of the world’s population.

According to Holmes’s reading of the index, the United States is now among the world’s most negatively viewed countries, alongside Israel, North Korea, Afghanistan and Iran. The article says majorities in 86 of 97 countries oppose hosting U.S. military bases, China is viewed more favorably than the United States in 63 of 83 surveyed countries, and the United States is seen slightly more negatively than Russia for the first time in the index’s history. It also reports that global net perception of the U.S. fell sharply between 2024 and 2026, turning negative overall.

Holmes emphasizes that the survey does not show a worldwide rejection of democracy itself. He cites findings that more than two-thirds of respondents consider democracy extremely or very important, while many countries prioritize improved living standards and broad well-being as democracy’s main purpose rather than individual freedoms alone.

The piece frames the data as significant because the index is co-published by institutions associated with promoting liberal democracy, not by anti-Western governments. Antiwar.com’s article presents the results as evidence of a widening gap between Western leaders’ self-image and how many publics assess U.S. wars, support for Israel, foreign bases and the international order.