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 In each country surveyed, only about one in 10 said they believe their government does not send its military frequently enough to trouble spots. Roughly eight in 10 said their leaders send forces abroad either as often as they should or too frequently, according to the poll, which also sampled attitudes in Canada, South Korea, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
When it came to their country's role in world affairs in general, however, only in the U.S. and Britain did about half or more say their government was too involved. In the others, at least three of four said their government was either not doing enough or was doing what it should.
Every country in the survey has forces in Afghanistan, while the U.S. and Britain have troops in Iraq as well.
"Italy is not making enough of an important mark on international politics," said Maria Verrone, 46, an architect from Florence, Italy, who was visiting Rome. "We have a strong economy to back us, what are we waiting for?"
The survey was conducted in mid- to late May as the war in Iraq was beginning its fourth year and NATO allies were facing a springtime upsurge in violence in Afghanistan. Since then, events have transpired that could have changed some peoples' views about their countries' roles in foreign affairs, such as the taking of South Korean hostages in Afghanistan and the ascension of new leaders in Britain and France.
"Too much," said David Champ, 57, a plasterer from Redkey, Ind., as he walked the National Mall in the heart of Washington, D.C. "We're not the peacekeepers of the world, but a lot of Americans think we are."
In Paris, Louise Cors, 53, said military missions abroad are "a bad idea," adding, "We have lost a lot of credit in our foreign diplomacy."
In the U.S., Britain and Germany, more than half said their country intervenes militarily too frequently. Elsewhere, more said their government was dispatching troops properly, though Italians were about evenly split between that and saying they are sent too often.
When asked about their country's involvement in world affairs in general, 55 percent in the U.S. and 48 percent in Britain said their country does too much. Nowhere else was that sentiment as strong
-- the next closest was Germany, where 22 percent said they felt that way.
In the U.S., Britain, Germany and France, majorities said they believe their country is viewed by others as a strong force in world affairs. Sixty-nine percent in the U.S. said that, while 84 percent in South Korea said they believed their nation is seen as weak
-- the highest such figures in the poll.
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 In general, those who saw too much military involvement by their country were likelier to be female and older people. Better educated people in France were likelier to think their nation has a strong image abroad, while in South Korea the lesser educated more often felt that way.
In the U.S., Republicans were far more likely than Democrats to approve of the country's overseas involvements, a reflection of partisan splits over President Bush's policies. Seventy percent of Democrats said the U.S. sends military forces to trouble spots too often, compared to 32 percent of Republicans and 51 percent of independents.
Taliban fighters captured 23 South Korean church volunteers last month in Afghanistan. They agreed Tuesday to release the remaining 19 after Seoul reiterated it will remove its 200 troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year and keep missionaries from working there.
Gordon Brown has replaced Tony Blair as British prime minister and has been reducing his country's role in Iraq while increasing its presence in Afghanistan. New French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants to boost France's role abroad and is interested in strengthening ties with the U.S. that were frayed by his country's opposition to the Iraq war.
The poll involved telephone interviews with 1,000 people in each country except for 960 in Italy, 968 in France and 1,001 in Germany. The margin of sampling error for each country was plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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On the Net:
AP-Ipsos poll site:
http://www.ap-ipsosresults.com/
[Associated Press; by Alan Fram
and Trevor Tompson]
AP News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius and reporters Christine Simmons in Washington, Rose Hackman in Rome and Philippine Boudet in Paris contributed to this report.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
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