most Americans (56%) believe that the United Nations is somewhere between an enemy and an ally.

A Rasmussen Reports survey of 2,500 Adults found that just 21% view the international agency as our ally while 16% believe the UN is an enemy of the U.S.

Assessments of France are even bleaker. Twenty-seven percent (27%) view France as an enemy in the War on Terror. Just 18% view that nation as an ally. Forty-eight percent (48%) say it is somewhere in between.

Americans under 40 are more likely than their elders to see both the UN and France as allies. Still, just 24% of the under-40 crowd views France as an ally, while 25% say it is our enemy.

When it comes to the UN, Investor views are little different from non-Investors. However, on France, there is a significant gap. For every Investor who says France is our ally, there are two who say France is our enemy. Non-Investors are relatively evenly divided between those two positions.

Other survey data shows that most Americans discuss the War in Iraq at least once a week with family, friends, and co-workers. They are not terribly optimistic about what they see.

Rasmussen Reports is an independent public opinion research firm that provides daily updates on the Presidential election and the nation's economic confidence. We also update our Electoral College projections on a regular basis.