Survey Finds Deep Discontent With American Foreign Policy
By MEG BORTIN
New York Times
Shaken by the Iraq war and the rise of anti-American sentiment around the world, Americans are turning inward, a new Pew survey of American opinion leaders and the general public indicates.
The survey, conducted from Sept. 5 to Oct. 31 and released yesterday, found isolationist feelings among the public similar to the sentiment that followed the Vietnam War in the 1970's and the end of the cold war in the 1990's. At the same time, the poll indicated, Americans are feeling less unilateralist than in the recent past.
The survey by the Pew Research Center in association with the Council on Foreign Relations was of a random sample of 2,006 American adults from the general public and 520 influential Americans in fields that included foreign affairs, security, religion, science, engineering and the military. The margin of sampling error for most questions was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Forty-two percent in the general public said they agreed that the United States should "mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along the best they can on their own." That was up from 30 percent in a similar poll in December 2002, before the American-led invasion of Iraq. The result appeared to represent less support for Mr. Bush's stated goal of promoting democracy in other nations.
Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed from the public said that the United States should play a shared leadership role, and only 25 percent said that they wanted the country to be the most active nation in international leadership.
Majorities from both the public and opinion leaders said they disapproved of the way Mr. Bush was handling his job as president. Fifty-two percent of the public expressed disapproval; the figure was higher among opinion leaders.
In an analysis, Pew said the Iraq war "has had a profound impact" on the way opinion leaders and the public, "view America's global role, looming international threats, and the Bush administration's stewardship of the nation's foreign policy."
Asked how Pew chose the opinion leaders, Andrew Kohut, president of the center, said, "We used the best listings that we could of people in this influential group." He said the opinion leaders came from rosters of organizations like the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and the National Academy of Sciences, as well as a list of governors and of mayors of larger American cities.
Two-thirds said that there was less international respect for the United States than in the past. When asked why, strong majorities - 71 percent of the members of the public who were polled and 88 percent of opinion leaders - cited the war in Iraq.
On prospects for Iraq, a majority of opinion leaders said the United States would fail to establish a stable democracy there; the general public was more optimistic, with 56 percent expecting success.
New York Times
Shaken by the Iraq war and the rise of anti-American sentiment around the world, Americans are turning inward, a new Pew survey of American opinion leaders and the general public indicates.
The survey, conducted from Sept. 5 to Oct. 31 and released yesterday, found isolationist feelings among the public similar to the sentiment that followed the Vietnam War in the 1970's and the end of the cold war in the 1990's. At the same time, the poll indicated, Americans are feeling less unilateralist than in the recent past.
The survey by the Pew Research Center in association with the Council on Foreign Relations was of a random sample of 2,006 American adults from the general public and 520 influential Americans in fields that included foreign affairs, security, religion, science, engineering and the military. The margin of sampling error for most questions was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Forty-two percent in the general public said they agreed that the United States should "mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along the best they can on their own." That was up from 30 percent in a similar poll in December 2002, before the American-led invasion of Iraq. The result appeared to represent less support for Mr. Bush's stated goal of promoting democracy in other nations.
Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed from the public said that the United States should play a shared leadership role, and only 25 percent said that they wanted the country to be the most active nation in international leadership.
Majorities from both the public and opinion leaders said they disapproved of the way Mr. Bush was handling his job as president. Fifty-two percent of the public expressed disapproval; the figure was higher among opinion leaders.
In an analysis, Pew said the Iraq war "has had a profound impact" on the way opinion leaders and the public, "view America's global role, looming international threats, and the Bush administration's stewardship of the nation's foreign policy."
Asked how Pew chose the opinion leaders, Andrew Kohut, president of the center, said, "We used the best listings that we could of people in this influential group." He said the opinion leaders came from rosters of organizations like the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and the National Academy of Sciences, as well as a list of governors and of mayors of larger American cities.
Two-thirds said that there was less international respect for the United States than in the past. When asked why, strong majorities - 71 percent of the members of the public who were polled and 88 percent of opinion leaders - cited the war in Iraq.
On prospects for Iraq, a majority of opinion leaders said the United States would fail to establish a stable democracy there; the general public was more optimistic, with 56 percent expecting success.
posted by Hanan Elbadry at 11:18 PM
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