A majority of people around the world view US President George W. Bush unfavourably and think the United States was wrong to invade Iraq, according to a BBC poll published on Monday. The poll, which surveyed more than 11,000 people in 11 countries, showed 57 per cent of those asked had "a very unfavourable or fairly unfavourable attitude towards the American president", the British broadcaster said in a statement. Some 56 per cent felt the United States was wrong to attack Iraq, including 81 per cent of Russian respondents and 63 per cent of those polled in France. In Jordan and Indonesia, well over half of those asked felt the United States posed a greater danger to world peace and stability than Al-Qaeda. In five of the 11 countries polled, a majority of respondents believed the United States was more dangerous than Iran, named by Bush as part of an "axis of evil" with Iraq and North Korea. And in eight of the 11, respondents said the United States was more dangerous than Syria, a country which Washington accuses of sponsoring terrorism. However, attitudes towards America, rather than the Bush administration, were slightly more positive. Half rated the country "fairly" while 40 per cent considered it "unfavourable". Asked if their country was becoming more like America, 81 per cent of Australians and 64 per cent of Britons said "Yes". The survey, conducted in May and June by the BBC and pollsters around the world, covered Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, France, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, South Korea, Russia and the United States. It was commissioned for a TV programme called "What the World Thinks of America". Many critics have said the administration exaggerated intelligence on the threat posed by Iraq to justify the invasion that topped Saddam. Bush has denied the accusations. The Washington Post on Monday cited a former National Security Council counterterrorism aide under Bush as saying the administration's focus on Iraq undermined domestic security and counterterrorism alliances and could fuel al Qaeda recruiting efforts. The aide, Rand Beers, resigned shortly before the Iraq war and is now security adviser for Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. The Post quoted Beers as saying the evidence used against Iraq was "pretty qualified" and that many of his government colleagues thought Iraq was an "ill-conceived and poorly executed strategy." "I continue to be puzzled by it," he told the newspaper. "Why was it such a policy priority?" Bush said, "This is for certain, Saddam Hussein is no longer a threat to the United States and our friends and allies." Bush said the U.S. global war on terrorism, begun after the Sept. 11 2001 attacks and which he said encompassed the war on Iraq, would continue. "This government will use whatever technologies and skill is necessary to secure America by hunting down those who would harm us one person at a time." **PHOTO CAPTION*** President George W. Bush talks to business leaders in Elizabeth, New Jersey, June 16, 2003. During his speech, Bush countered those questioning his justification for the invasion of Iraq, dismissing 'revisionist historians' and saying Washington acted to counter a persistent threat. (Jason Reed/Reuters)