(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The majority of people in five predominantly Arab countries fear that the war in Iraq will bring negative consequences for the entire region, according to a poll by Zogby International and the University of Maryland. 59 per cent of respondents in Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are concerned that Iraq will remain unstable and spread instability in the region.

In addition, 42 per cent of respondents believe continuing trouble in Iraq is diverting attention from other issues such as the Palestinian question, 40 per cent think the U.S. will continue to dominate Iraq long after the transfer of power to the Iraqis, and 40 per cent say Iraq may be divided.

The United States-led coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 4,344 coalition soldiers have died during the military operation.

There has been no official inquiry into the actual number of Iraqi casualties. A volunteer group of British and United States academics and researchers known as Iraq Body Count (IBC) estimates that more than 82,800 Iraqi civilians have been killed during the war.

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.

On Apr. 12, U.S. ambassador in Iraq Ryan Crocker criticized Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt for not doing more to counterbalance Iran’s influence in the region and solving the Iraq conflict, saying, "If the Arabs are concerned about Iranian influence and encroachments in Iraq, they need to be diplomatically involved there."

Polling Data

Which of the following is your biggest concern about the consequences of the war in Iraq? (Two answers allowed)

Source: Zogby International / University of Maryland
Methodology: Interviews with 4,046 adults in Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, conducted throughout March 2008. Average margin of error is 1.6 per cent.

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