(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Citizens in three countries foresee a U.S.-backed military intervention in Iran in the next decade, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 58 per cent of respondents in Britain, 56 per cent of Canadians and 54 per cent of Americans regard this as a likely possibility.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Citizens in three countries foresee a U.S.-backed military intervention in Iran in the next decade, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 58 per cent of respondents in Britain, 56 per cent of Canadians and 54 per cent of Americans regard this as a likely possibility.
In addition, a sizeable proportion of people in the three countries believe Vladimir Putin will be directly involved in the Russian government ten years from now, and at least three-in-ten think a U.S.-backed military intervention in North Korea will take place.
Less than one third of respondents in the three countries foresee Cuba abandoning communism, China having free and fair elections, and Israel and the Palestinians reaching a definite peace agreement.
After being branded as part of an "axis of evil" by then U.S. president George W. Bush in January 2002, Iran has contended that its nuclear program aims to produce energy, not weapons. Iran has been the target of three sets of United Nations (UN) sanctions for refusing to suspend uranium-enrichment work.
The United States and other Western powers have called on Iran to agree to a deal before the end of 2009 which would entail sending low-enriched uranium abroad for processing to turn it into fuel-making uranium.
On Dec. 23, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed both the deal and the deadline, adding. "[U.S. president Barack Obama] extended the sanctions against us. He has failed to meet the expectations of the people in the U.S. and the people of the world."
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice discussed the issue, saying, "In the new year, absent some significant changes in the posture of Iran, I think we believe that the time will be ripe for serious consideration of additional pressures."
Polling Data
Do you think each of these is likely or unlikely to happen in the next 10 years? – "Very likely" and "Moderately likely" listed
|
CAN
|
USA
|
BRI
|
|
|
A U.S.-backed military intervention in Iran
|
56%
|
54%
|
58%
|
|
Vladimir Putin will be directly involved in the Government of Russia
|
50%
|
49%
|
56%
|
|
A U.S.-backed military intervention in North Korea
|
39%
|
36%
|
35%
|
|
Cuba will abandon communism
|
32%
|
26%
|
24%
|
|
China will have free and fair elections
|
17%
|
20%
|
18%
|
|
Israel and the Palestinians reaching a definite peace agreement
|
17%
|
18%
|
15%
|
Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,017 Canadian adults, 1,006 American adults, and 2,010 British adults, conducted from Dec. 15 to Dec. 17, 2009. Margins of error range from 2.2 per cent to 3.1 per cent.
