Iraq Positive View
Published: December 22, 2005
Editorial via KRT Wire
Two recent polls shed interesting new light on the supposedly “unwinnable” war in Iraq.
An Associated Press-Ipsos poll conducted last week showed that most Americans want U.S. troops to remain in Iraq until the country is stabilized. Despite relentless criticism of the war from Democrats and months of pessimistic news coverage, 57 percent of the poll respondents supported the U.S. staying the course in Iraq while 36 percent favored an immediate pullout of the troops. Most Americans believe it’s important for coalition forces to establish order in Iraq and finish the job of rebuilding the country.
Another survey found that the Iraqi people, far from being demoralized by the war and the struggle to build a democracy, are satisfied with the current situation in their country and extraordinarily hopeful about the future.
According to an analysis by two ABC News reporters, the poll, sponsored by ABC and several other news organizations, revealed that “surprising levels of optimism prevail” in Iraq. Among the poll’s findings, which ABC called “remarkable,” are that seven out of 10 Iraqis say their own lives are going well and 69 percent expect conditions in the country to improve in the next year. The optimistic mood carried over into the political arena, with three out of four Iraqis expressing confidence in the recent elections and 70 percent approving of the new constitution. A solid majority of Iraqis — 57 percent — favor democracy over an Islamic state or a secular dictatorship.
All of these poll findings fly in the face of the conventional wisdom among Democrats, the news media and the anti-war movement. The picture of Iraq painted by the defeatists is of a country devastated by violence and disorder and teetering on the brink of civil war.
Iraq’s Shiite majority and the minority Sunnis, who dominated the country under Saddam Hussein, are at each other’s throats, critics of the war say. In the view of those in the U.S. who consider President Bush’s invasion of Iraq a mistake and the effort to rebuild the country a failure, the Shiites are just waiting to install an Iranian-style theocracy under Islamic law while the Sunnis are bitterly opposed to a democratic government. According to the gloom-and-doom chorus, Iraq is sliding into chaos and despair, and the U.S. is responsible for this bitter outcome.
It’s difficult to square these notions with the opinions of the Iraqis themselves. The ABC poll showed minimal support for an Islamic state and solid backing for the emerging democratic system. Not surprisingly, the Sunnis — the favored group during Saddam’s reign — are unhappy with conditions and concerned about their future status. However, nearly half of the residents in Sunni areas have confidence in the elections and 88 percent want the nation to remain unified.
Even in the centers of the Sunni-dominated insurgency, the poll found a high level of interest in politics and a growing belief in the electoral process. All in all, Iraqis display more faith in politics and a greater interest in political participation than Americans.
Sunni disaffection remains a problem and impatience with the American occupation is growing among Sunnis and Shiites. Even so, more than half of Iraqis believe coalition troops should remain in the country until stability is restored and/or the Iraqi security forces are capable of operating on their own.
Clearly, the situation in Iraq is not nearly as grim as it has been depicted by Democrats and the media. Despite the persistence of the insurgency, Iraq is moving with impressive speed toward a permanent elected government, and the country’s economy is improving — incomes have increased by 60 percent in the last 20 months — giving Iraqis even more cause to be hopeful about the future.
It’s encouraging, too, that most Americans are able to put aside any misgivings they may have about the war and focus on the critical importance of stabilizing Iraq and making the country a strong outpost of democracy in the Middle East.
The majority view is well-represented by the comments of Terry Waterman, a Superior, Wis., resident who was interviewed by the Associated Press. “You’ve got to finish the job,” Waterman said. “The whole world is looking to us for leadership.”
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: