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Confidence in Iraq Stability Falls to 32% in U.S.
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - More Americans are expressing unease about the future of Iraq, according to a poll by Harris Interactive. 32 per cent of respondents are confident that Iraq will be successful in developing a stable and reasonably democratic government, down nine points since June.
The United States-led coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 2,097 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 15,500 troops have been injured.
In a Nov. 22 interview with CNN, U.S. state secretary Condoleezza Rice hinted at a possible reduction in the number of troops stationed in Iraq, saying, "I suspect that American forces are not going to be needed in the numbers that they're there for all that much longer, because Iraqis are continuing to make progress in function, not just in numbers, but in their capabilities to do certain functions. (...) The number of coalition forces is clearly going to come down because Iraqis are making it possible now to do those functions themselves."
A new National Assembly election has been scheduled for Dec. 15. More than half of all American respondents believe the overall life for Iraqis, the overall infrastructure of Iraq and the security of Iraqi civilians are "getting better" right now.
Polling Data
Are you confident that Iraq will be successful in developing a stable and reasonably democratic government?
Nov. 2005 | Aug. 2005 | Jun. 2005 | |
Yes | 32% | 40% | 41% |
No | 61% | 56% | 51% |
Not sure | 7% | 4% | 9% |
For each of the following, please indicate whether you feel the situation is getting better or worse.
Better | Worse | |
Overall life for Iraqis | 68% | 28% |
Overall infrastructure of Iraq | 62% | 30% |
Security of Iraqi civilians | 52% | 43% |
Source: Harris Interactive
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,011 American adults, conducted from Nov. 8 to Nov. 13, 2005. Margin of error is 3 per cent.