March 12, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe their country and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should remain engaged in Afghanistan, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. 61 per cent of respondents would keep military troops in Afghanistan until the situation has stabilized.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe their country and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should remain engaged in Afghanistan, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. 61 per cent of respondents would keep military troops in Afghanistan until the situation has stabilized.

In addition, 65 per cent of respondents think the U.S. made the right decision in using military force in Afghanistan, and 48 per cent believe the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan is going very or fairly well.

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.

At least 765 soldiers—including 481 Americans—have died in the war on terrorism, either in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by the NATO.

In March 2007, Illinois senator Barack Obama, who is seeking the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in the United States, discussed his views on the war on terrorism, saying, "Unfortunately, we’ve become so focused on the situation in Iraq, that I think we have ended up being distracted, particularly in Afghanistan. (...) We have not followed through on the good starts we made in Afghanistan, partly because we took so many resources out and put them in Iraq. I think it is very important for us to begin a planned redeployment from Iraq, including targeting Afghanistan."

Polling Data

Do you think the U.S. and NATO should keep military troops in Afghanistan until the situation has stabilized, or do you think the U.S. and NATO should remove their troops as soon as possible?

Keep troops there	61%
Remove as soon as possible	32%
Unsure	7%

Do you think the U.S. made the right decision or the wrong decision in using military force in Afghanistan?

	Feb. 2008	Dec. 2006
Right decision	65%	61%
Wrong decision	24%	29%
Unsure	11%	10%

From what you have read or heard, how well is the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan going?

Very well	10%
Fairly well	38%
Not too well	31%
Not at all well	10%
Unsure	11%

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,508 American adults, conducted from Feb. 20 to Feb. 24, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.