Polls & Research

U.S. Should Have Stayed Out of Iraq, Say Americans

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in the United States believe their government was wrong to take military action against Iraq, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. 50 per cent of respondents think the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 1,904 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 14,300 troops have been injured.

Yesterday, four Americans—including a U.S. state department employee—were killed when their vehicle was struck by a suicide bomber in Mosul. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi—regarded as al-Qaeda's top commander in Iraq—has reportedly carried out several attacks and kidnappings. Iraqi officials estimate that 116 Iraqi forces and 346 Iraqi civilians were killed in the first 17 days of September in bombings, drive-by-shootings and other violent incidents.

On Sept. 16, U.S. president George W. Bush discussed the current state of affairs in Iraq, saying, "Clearly, Iraq is a struggling democracy. But one thing is for certain: the people have made their mind about what they want. They want democracy: 8.5 million Iraqis went to the polls, see, and they've got a constitution that's been written. It wasn't written under bayonet or under the barrel of a gun—it was written by people from different factions of the society that have come together." 50 per cent of respondents believe Iraq will probably never become a stable democracy, while 43 per cent think the process will take longer than a year or two.

Polling Data

Looking back, do you think the United States did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq, or should the U.S. have stayed out?

Which of these do you think is most likely?