September 27, 2006

Abstract: - Many adults in the United States are concerned about the level of sectarian tension in Iraq, according to a poll by Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times. 59 per cent of respondents think Iraq is engaged in a civil war.

- Many adults in the United States are concerned about the level of sectarian tension in Iraq, according to a poll by Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times. 59 per cent of respondents think Iraq is engaged in a civil war.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 2,703 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 20,300 troops have been wounded in action.

In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.

On Sept. 24, portions of the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) were released by several media outlets in the U.S. The document says the war in Iraq has "increased the terrorist threat" against the United States.

Yesterday, U.S. president George W. Bush expressed dismay at the situation, saying, "Here we are, coming down the stretch in an election campaign, and it's on the front page of your newspapers. Isn't that interesting? Somebody has taken it upon themselves to leak classified information for political purposes."

Bush explained his rationale for the coalition effort, saying, "I think it's a mistake for people to believe that going on the offence against people that want to do harm to the American people makes us less safe. The terrorists fight us in Iraq for a reason: They want to try to stop a young democracy from developing, just like they're trying to fight another young democracy in Afghanistan." 51 per cent of respondents think of the war in Iraq as separate from the war on terrorism.

Polling Data

Do you think Iraq is currently engaged in a civil war, or do you not think Iraq is currently engaged in a civil war?

Yes, in a civil war	59%
No, not in a civil war	27%
Don't know	14%

Do you think of the war with Iraq as part of the war against terrorism, or as separate from the war against terrorism?

Part of the war against terrorism	44%
Separate from the war against terrorism	51%
Don't know	5%

Source: Bloomberg / Los Angeles Times
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,517 American adults, conducted from Sept. 16 to Sept. 19, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.