(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in the United States believe their new president will handle the end of the coalition effort properly, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. 67 per cent of respondents expect Barack Obama to properly oversee the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in the United States believe their new president will handle the end of the coalition effort properly, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. 67 per cent of respondents expect Barack Obama to properly oversee the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 4,228 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and 30,900 troops have been wounded in action.
In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May 2006, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.
In September 2007, commander of the Multi-National Force – Iraq David Petraeus and U.S. ambassador in Iraq Ryan Crocker provided a comprehensive assessment of the situation in Iraq to the U.S. Congress.
In November 2008, Iraq’s National Assembly ratified the Status of Forces Agreement with the United States. The document establishes that coalition combat forces will withdraw from Iraqi cities by Jun. 30, 2009, and will be completely out of Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011. The agreement can be revised if the Iraqi prime minister believes Iraq is not stable enough.
In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. In November 2008, Democratic nominee Barack Obama secured a majority of electoral votes, defeating Republican candidate John McCain. On Jan. 20, Obama became the first African American president in U.S. history.
On Jan. 21, Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari discussed the current state of affairs, saying, "Nobody can afford in 2009 to contemplate any change in military policy. We can’t give any impression that there will be draw-downs, reductions, redeployment because this year Iraq has three elections."
Polling Data
Do you think Barack Obama will remove troops from Iraq too quickly, that he will wait too long, or do you think he will handle it about right?
|
Remove troops from Iraq too quickly |
19% |
|
Wait too long |
6% |
|
Handle it about right |
67% |
|
Don’t know / Refused |
8% |
Source: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Methodology: Interviews to 1,503 American adults, conducted from Jan. 7 to Jan. 11, 2009. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.
