[Vision2020] Iraq: The peoples view

[James Reynolds]

taken from the following  article in the Cristian Science Monitor

Has public support against Iraq war reached 'tipping point' in US, Britain?
By Tom Regan | csmonitor.com

....one of President Bush's most often stated foreign policy goals is 
helping to spread democracy, particularly throughout the Middle East. Yet 
those surveyed ranked this as the least important policy.
The US public holds a strikingly clear view of what Washington's foreign 
policy priorities should be. The goals the public highlights range widely. 
Those that receive the most public support are helping other nations when 
they are struck by natural disasters (71 percent), cooperating with other 
countries on problems such as the environment and disease control (70 
percent), and supporting UN peacekeeping (69 percent). A surprisingly high 
level of support shows up for goals that represent the United States' 
humanitarian (as distinct from its political) ideals, such as improving the 
treatment of women in other countries (57 percent), helping people in poor 
countries get an education (51 percent), and helping countries move out of 
poverty (40 percent). Receiving less support are goals such as encouraging 
US businesses to invest in poor countries (22 percent). And receiving the 
least support is "actively creating democracies in other countries" (20 
percent).
The Lexington Herald-Leader at Kentucky.com recently juxtaposed polls taken 
at the time of the original invasion of Iraq in March 2003, and polls on the 
same issues today. Among the changes it found in public opinion: In April 
2003, 70 percent of respondents in an ABC-Washington Post poll said the war 
in Iraq was worth fighting. In March 2006 only 29 percent in a CBS poll said 
results of the war were worth the cost. The paper also looked at changes in 
statistics on Iraq and the US-led coalition. For instance, when looking at 
the reconstruction of Iraq:
Potable water: 50 percent of Iraqis had access before war; about 32 percent 
now.
Electric power: Baghdad, with one-fifth of Iraq's 25 million people, had 
power for 16 to 24 hours a day before war; just under 4 hours now.
Crude oil production: Prewar peak was 2.5 million barrels a day; now 1.84 
million.
Unemployment: Estimates ranged from 50 percent to 60 percent in June 2003; 
now 28 percent to 40 percent.
Finally, citizens of 30 communities in Wisconsin will get a chance to vote 
Tuesday in a nonbinding referendum on the US presence in Iraq. The measure 
asks whether Bush should bring American troops home now. The Associated 
Press reports that peace activists pushed to have the questions placed on 
the ballot, even though the referendums have no bearing on federal policy.


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