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U.S. Policies Hurt War on Terrorism, Say Americans
- Many adults in the United States think their federal administration is hindering the global effort against terrorism, according to a poll by SRBI Public Affairs published in Time. 56 per cent of respondents think the U.S. policies in the Middle East are hurting the war on terrorism.
Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq was launched in March 2003. At least 2,633 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 19,700 troops have been wounded in action.
On Aug. 21, U.S. president George W. Bush explained his foreign policy rationale, saying, "It's in our interests that we help reformers across the Middle East achieve their objectives. This is the fundamental challenge of the 21st century. (...) The final history in the region has yet to be written. And what's very interesting about the violence in Lebanon and the violence in Iraq and the violence in Gaza is this: These are all groups of terrorists who are trying to stop the advance of democracy."
Polling Data
Do you believe the United States' policies in the Middle East are helping or hurting the war on terrorism?
Hurting | 56% |
Helping | 29% |
No answer / Don't know | 15% |
Source: Schulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas (SRBI) Public Affairs / Time
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,003 American adults, conducted on Aug. 9 and Aug. 10, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.