[wvns] ONLY 10% IN U.S. SEE IRAN AS THREAT
ONLY 10% IN U.S. SEE IRAN AS IMMEDIATE THREAT
Angus Reid Global Monitor
http://www.angus-
reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/15093
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Very few Americans believe Iran
represents a danger for their country, according to a poll by New
York Times and CBS News. Only 10 per cent of respondents think Iran
is a threat to the United States that requires military action now,
down 11 points since mid-February.
Conversely, 65 per cent of respondents think Iran is a threat that
can be contained with diplomacy now, while 18 per cent say the
country is not a menace to the U.S. at this time.
After being branded as part of an "axis of evil" by United States
president George W. Bush in January 2002, Iran has contended that
its nuclear program aims to produce energy, not weapons. In June
2005, former Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won Iran's
presidential election in a run-off over Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
with 61.6 per cent of all cast ballots.
In December 2006, the United Nations (UN) Security Council
unanimously voted to impose sanctions against Iran after it failed
to stop uranium enrichment. On Jan. 2, Ahmadinejad declared, "Let
the world know that from the Iranian nation's point of view, this
resolution has no validity. I want (the United States) to know that
the Iranian nation has humiliated you many times, and it will
humiliate you in future."
On Mar. 14, Ahmadinejad again dismissed the UN sanctions,
saying, "Issuing such torn pieces of paper will not have an impact
on Iranian nation's will (to obtain nuclear technology). What is the
aim of issuing such resolutions? Today we are mastering the nuclear
fuel cycle completely."
Polling Data
Which comes closer to your opinion: Iran is a threat to the United
States that requires military action now, Iran is a threat that
Mar. 10
Feb. 27
Feb. 11
Threat requiring action now
10%
15%
21%
Threat that can be contained
65%
56%
57%
Not a threat at this time
18%
20%
14%
Not sure
7%
9%
8%
As you may know, members of the Bush administration have accused
Iran of supporting Iraqi insurgents by supplying them with weapons
to use against American forces. When members of the Bush
administration talk about Iran's involvement in Iraq, do you think
they are telling the entire truth, mostly telling the truth but
hiding something, or are they mostly lying?
Telling entire truth
14%
Mostly telling truth
56%
Mostly lying
24%
Not sure
6%
===
POLL: BOTH US AND IRAQ CITIZENS GIVE WAR A THUMBS-DOWN
Kathy Gill
http://uspolitics.about.com/b/a/208047.htm
On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq,
polls in both countries reflect a dissatisfied electorate.
In Iraq, citizens feel that their lives have been "torn apart" --
due to street violence and a sputtering economy. Half believe that
the country is either in a state of civil war or close to it.
In the US, half of Americans in the "50 and over" age group now
oppose the war, contrasted with only 15 percent four years ago. Four
years ago, almost three-quarters of Americans supported the
invasion; today only a third do.
President Bush continues to insist that the war "can be won" and
that any troop withdrawal would be "devastating" to US security.
Most Iraqis, however, believe their domestic violence will "get
better" after withdrawal. (pdf, Table 2).
A British market research firm, Opinion Research Business, conducted
a face-to-face poll of 5,000+ Iraqis in February. In addition to
finding overwhelming support (53 percent to 26 percent) for foreign
troop withdrawal, the firm found that 27 percent of Iraqis believe
that the country is "in a state of civil war" and 22 percent believe
that it is "close" to civil war; 14 percent did not answer.
Nevertheless, half say that they prefer the current regime to that
of Saddam Hussein.
Survey Details
The respondents were primarily unemployed (59 percent to 40
percent). On the question of religion, 61 percent self-identified
as "Muslim" -- 24 percent as "Shia Muslim" -- and 14 percent
as "Sunni Muslim." When asked specifically about doctrine, most who
answered said "Sunni" (46 percent).
Of the respondents, almost 40 percent had none or only primary
education. Another 40 percent had "intermediate" or "secondary"
education. Only 20 percent had "higher" education.
Most Iraqis (64 percent) want a centralized government and a united
country. And almost half (45 percent) think that the current plan to
disarm militias will work -- although 33 percent did not answer and
22 percent think it won't work.
About half (49 percent) believe that their lives are better under
the current government. One quarter (26 percent) preferred the prior
regime; 16 percent say both are "equally bad;" and 9 percent did not
answer.
Although some are portraying this finding as surprising -- it's not,
really. Life outside of Baghdad has improved in many places,
measured by things like power, water, access to foreign goods. It's
not unlike saying that if you put one hand in a pot of ice-cold
water and the other in a pot of almost-boiling water ... that "on
average" your hands are happy.
Looking at the attitude by region and by religion illustrates this
point. Most people in the south think things are better (although
even this region has a range of 49-90 percent). And in the mid-Shia
region, the nod also goes to the current government (range 13-90
percent). In the central region, most think things are better now,
and there is the most consensus of any region (range 61-72%).
However, most people in the north think things were better under
Saddam (range of 1-96 percent -- drop the two extremes and the range
is 57-73 percent -- overwhelming support for the prior government).
The difference in attitude is also clearly reflected in religious
orientation. Half of the Sunnis (51 percent) think life was better
under Saddam. (This, too, is a "doh" as Saddam's was a Sunni
government.)
Two-thirds (66 percent) of the Shias think life is better under the
current government. More of the Shias (20 percent) are likely to
think that either regime is "just as bad" as the other than the
Sunnis. Yet Shias (34 percent) were more likely to have experienced
the murder of a family member in the last three years than Sunnis
(15 percent).
If a family member had left the country because of the state of
security in the country, the respondent was more likely to support
Saddam Hussein than the current government.
Both countries -- Iraq and the United States -- remain very divided.
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