July 29, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - More adults in the United States question their government's rationale on foreign affairs, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. 54 per cent of respondents think the U.S. will be safer from terrorism in the long run if it stays out of other countries' affairs in the Middle East, up five points since October.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - More adults in the United States question their government's rationale on foreign affairs, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. 54 per cent of respondents think the U.S. will be safer from terrorism in the long run if it stays out of other countries' affairs in the Middle East, up five points since October.

Conversely, 38 per cent of respondents think the U.S. will be safer from terrorism if it confronts the countries and groups that promote terrorism in the Middle East, down six points in nine months.

George W. Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election with 51.03 per cent of the vote. His government is currently leading two high-profile military operations abroad: The coalition effort in Iraq and the war on terrorism in Afghanistan. 46 per cent of respondents think the Iraq war is not part of the global fight against terrorism.

In his January 2005 inauguration speech, Bush said: "It is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world."

On Jul. 24, Bush criticized lawmakers who question whether the war in Iraq is part of the war on terror, saying, "You might wonder why some in Washington insist on making this distinction about the enemy in Iraq. It's because they know that if they can convince America we're not fighting (Osama) bin Laden's al-Qaeda there, they can paint the battle in Iraq as a distraction from the real war on terror. If we're not fighting bin Laden's al-Qaeda, they can argue that our nation can pull out of Iraq and not undermine our efforts in the war on terror. The problem they have is with the facts. We are fighting bin Laden's al-Qaeda in Iraq; Iraq is central to the war on terror; and against this enemy, America can accept nothing less than complete victory."

Polling Data

Which comes closer to your view?

	Jul. 2007	Oct. 2006
In the long run, the U.S. will be safer from terrorism if it confronts the countries and groups that promote terrorism in the Middle East	38%	44%
In the long run, the U.S. will be safer from terrorism if it stays out of other countries' affairs in the Middle East	54%	49%
Don't know / No answer	8%	7%

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

	Jul. 2007	Oct. 2006	Sept. 2006
Major part	32%	31%	36%
Minor part	14%	12%	13%
Not part	46%	52%	46%

Source: New York Times / CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 889 American adults, conducted from Jul. 20 to Jul. 22, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.