James Zogby: Poll: What Iraqis Think About the Occupation

Poll: What Iraqis Think About the Occupation

By James Zogby, AlterNet http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17021
October 21, 2003


In fact, Zogby International (ZI) in Iraq had conducted the poll, and the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) did publish their interpretation of the findings. But the AEI's "spin" and the Vice-President's use of their "spin" created a faulty impression of the poll's results and, therefore, of the attitudes of the Iraqi people.


For example, while Cheney noted that when asked what kind of government they would like, Iraqis chose "the U.S. . . . hands down," in fact, the results of the poll are actually quite different. Twenty-three percent of Iraqis say that they would like to model their new government after the U.S.; 17.5% would like their model to be Saudi Arabia; 12% say Syria, 7% say Egypt and 37% say "none of the above." That's hardly "winning hands down."


And attitudes toward the U.S. were not positive. When asked whether over the next five years, they felt that the "U.S. would help or hurt Iraq," 50% said that the U.S. would hurt Iraq, while only 35.5% felt the U.S. would help the country. On the other hand, 61% of Iraqis felt that Saudi Arabia would help Iraq in the next five years, as opposed to only 7.5% who felt Saudi Arabia would hurt their country. Half felt that the United Nations would help Iraq, while 18.5% felt it would hurt. Iran's rating was very close to the United State’s, with 53.5% of Iraqis saying Iran would hurt them in the next five years, while only 21.5% felt that Iran might help them.


It is disturbing that the AEI and the vice president could get it so wrong. Their misuse of the polling numbers to make the point that they wanted to make, resembles the way critics have noted that the Administration used "intelligence data" to make their case to justify the war.

Unbiased opinions from the Iraqi people.

And it's nice to have something in common with Iran for a change. (re: iraqis dislike both of us).

And it adds credence to what the world said long before the invasion - let the international community (UN) police Iraq. Russia, Germany and France would have preferred UN troops to American troops.

Cut the losses and face the music. The occupation and the invasion were based on lies. Call it faulty intelligence if that helps to save face. But don't say the world is safer now.

Now if we could only get fair and free elections and a free press in the USA...