(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe their armed forces are not achieving victory in the coalition effort, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. 60 per cent of respondents think nobody is winning the war in Iraq, 24 per cent say the U.S. is ahead, and nine per cent believe the Iraqi resistance and insurgents are prevailing.

In addition, 54 per cent of respondents think removing Saddam Hussein from power was not worth the loss of American life and other costs of attacking Iraq.

The coalition effort against Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,889 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and 28,600 troops have been wounded in action.

In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May 2006, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.

In September, commander of the Multi-National Force - Iraq David Petraeus and U.S. ambassador in Iraq Ryan Crocker provided a comprehensive assessment of the situation in Iraq to the U.S. Congress. In addition, U.S. president George W. Bush said U.S. forces in Iraq would be reduced by 5,700 troops in December, and announced the possibility of a further decrease in July 2008.

On Dec. 10, the contents of a letter addressed to the United Nations (UN) Security Council by al-Maliki were released. In the letter, the Iraqi prime minister issues a "final request (...) for the extension of the mandate" of the U.S.-led coalition until the end of 2008, and states that Iraqi forces have taken over security functions in eight of the country’s 18 governorates this year.

Polling Data

Who do you think is currently winning the war in Iraq?

Do you think removing Saddam Hussein from power was worth the loss of American life and other costs of attacking Iraq, or not?

Source: New York Times / CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,133 American adults, conducted from Dec. 5 to Dec. 9, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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