[Peace-discuss] Zogby- troops want to Exit

[Ricky Baldwin]

Amazing poll results, but where can we see them in
print?
> 
> US Troops in Iraq: 72% Say End War in 2006
>     Zogby International | Press Release
>     Tuesday 28 February 2006
> 
>   a.. Le Moyne College/Zogby Poll shows just one in
> five troops want to heed Bush call to stay "as long
> as they are needed"
> 
> 
>   b.. While 58% say mission is clear, 42% say U.S.
> role is hazy
> 
> 
>   c.. Plurality believes Iraqi insurgents are mostly
> homegrown 
> 
> 
>   d.. Almost 90% think war is retaliation for
> Saddam's role in 9/11, most don't blame Iraqi public
> for insurgent attacks 
> 
> 
>   e.. Majority of troops oppose use of harsh
> prisoner interrogation 
> 
> 
>   f.. Plurality of troops pleased with their armor
> and equipment
>     An overwhelming majority of 72% of American
> troops serving in Iraq think the U.S. should exit
> the country within the next year, and nearly one in
> four say the troops should leave immediately, a new
> Le Moyne College/Zogby International survey shows.
> 
>     The poll, conducted in conjunction with Le Moyne
> College's Center for Peace and Global Studies,
> showed that 29% of the respondents, serving in
> various branches of the armed forces, said the U.S.
> should leave Iraq "immediately," while another 22%
> said they should leave in the next six months.
> Another 21% said troops should be out between six
> and 12 months, while 23% said they should stay "as
> long as they are needed." 
> 
>     Different branches had quite different
> sentiments on the question, the poll shows. While
> 89% of reserves and 82% of those in the National
> Guard said the U.S. should leave Iraq within a year,
> 58% of Marines think so. Seven in ten of those in
> the regular Army thought the U.S. should leave Iraq
> in the next year. Moreover, about three-quarters of
> those in National Guard and Reserve units favor
> withdrawal within six months, just 15% of Marines
> felt that way. About half of those in the regular
> Army favored withdrawal from Iraq in the next six
> months.
> 
>     The troops have drawn different conclusions
> about fellow citizens back home. Asked why they
> think some Americans favor rapid U.S. troop
> withdrawal from Iraq, 37% of troops serving there
> said those Americans are unpatriotic, while 20%
> believe people back home don't believe a continued
> occupation will work. Another 16% said they believe
> those favoring a quick withdrawal do so because they
> oppose the use of the military in a pre-emptive war,
> while 15% said they do not believe those Americans
> understand the need for the U.S. troops in Iraq.
> 
>     The wide-ranging poll also shows that 58% of
> those serving in country say the U.S. mission in
> Iraq is clear in their minds, while 42% said it is
> either somewhat or very unclear to them, that they
> have no understanding of it at all, or are unsure.
> While 85% said the U.S. mission is mainly "to
> retaliate for Saddam's role in the 9-11 attacks,"
> 77% said they also believe the main or a major
> reason for the war was "to stop Saddam from
> protecting al Qaeda in Iraq."
> 
>     "Ninety-three percent said that removing weapons
> of mass destruction is not a reason for U.S. troops
> being there," said Pollster John Zogby, President
> and CEO of Zogby International. "Instead, that
> initial rationale went by the wayside and, in the
> minds of 68% of the troops, the real mission became
> to remove Saddam Hussein." Just 24% said that
> "establishing a democracy that can be a model for
> the Arab World" was the main or a major reason for
> the war. Only small percentages see the mission
> there as securing oil supplies (11%) or to provide
> long-term bases for US troops in the region (6%).
> 
>     The continuing insurgent attacks have not turned
> U.S. troops against the Iraqi population, the survey
> shows. More than 80% said they did not hold a
> negative view of Iraqis because of those attacks.
> About two in five see the insurgency as being
> comprised of discontented Sunnis with very few
> non-Iraqi helpers. "There appears to be confusion on
> this," Zogby said. But, he noted, less than a third
> think that if non-Iraqi terrorists could be
> prevented from crossing the border into Iraq, the
> insurgency would end. A majority of troops (53%)
> said the U.S. should double both the number of
> troops and bombing missions in order to control the
> insurgency.
> 
>     The survey shows that most U.S. military
> personnel in-country have a clear sense of right and
> wrong when it comes to using banned weapons against
> the enemy, and in interrogation of prisoners. Four
> in five said they oppose the use of such
> internationally banned weapons as napalm and white
> phosphorous. And, even as more photos of prisoner
> abuse in Iraq surface around the world, 55% said it
> is not appropriate or standard military conduct to
> use harsh and threatening methods against insurgent
> prisoners in order to gain information of military
> value.
> 
>     Three quarters of the troops had served multiple
> tours and had a longer exposure to the conflict: 26%
> were on their first tour of duty, 45% were on their
> second tour, and 29% were in Iraq for a third time
> or more. 
> 
>     A majority of the troops serving in Iraq said
> they were satisfied with the war provisions from
> Washington. Just 30% of troops said they think the
> Department of Defense has failed to provide adequate
> troop protections, such as body armor, munitions,
> and armor plating for vehicles like HumVees. Only
> 35% said basic civil infrastructure in Iraq,
> including roads, electricity, water service, and
> health care, has not improved over the past year.
> Three of every four were male respondents, with 63%
> under the age of 30.
> 
>     The survey included 944 military respondents
> interviewed at several undisclosed locations
> throughout Iraq. The names of the specific locations
> and specific personnel who conducted the survey are
> being withheld for security purposes. Surveys were
> conducted face-to-face using random sampling
> techniques. The margin of error for the survey,
> conducted Jan. 18 through Feb. 14, 2006, is +/- 3.3
> percentage points.
> 
>  
> 
> 
>
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> 
>     Go to Original
> 
>     Iraq Makes Terror 'More Likely'
>     BBC News
> 
>     Tuesday 28 February 2006
> 
>     People across the world overwhelmingly believe
> the war in Iraq has increased the likelihood of
> terrorist attacks worldwide, a poll for the BBC
> reveals.
> 
>     Some 60% of people in 35 countries surveyed
> believe this is the case, against just 12% who think
> terrorist attacks have become less likely.
> 
>     In most countries, more people think removing
> Saddam Hussein was a mistake than think it was the
> right decision.
> 
>     Some 41,856 people were questioned in the poll
> for the BBC's World Service.
> 
>     In 20 countries, there is overall support for
> US-led forces to withdraw from Iraq in the next few
> months.
> 
>     Only in nine of the remaining 15 countries do
> more people believe US-led forces should remain
> until the situation is stabilized. Six countries are
> divided.
> 
>     The removal of Saddam Hussein in 2003 is seen as
> a mistake in 21 countries, compared with 11
> countries where more people view it as the right
> decision. Three countries are divided.
> 
>     "It's official. Citizens worldwide think Western
> leaders have made a fundamental mistake in their war
> on terror by invading Iraq," says Doug Miller,
> president of the international polling firm
> GlobeScan, which carried out the survey.
> 
>     "Short of the Iraqi government asking them to
> stay longer, people think the troops should leave,"
> he says.
> 
>     The countries most eager for US coalition
> withdrawal are Argentina (80%), Egypt (76%), China
> (67%) and Brazil (67%). Those which favour troops
> staying for the time being are the US (58%),
> Afghanistan (58%), Australia (57%) and Great Britain
> (56%).
> 
>     Iraqis Divided
> 
>     However, the picture would be very different
> should the new Iraqi government ask US-led forces to
> remain until the situation was stabilised.
> 
>     In that case, there is support in 21 of 34
> countries for the coalition to stay.
> 
>     Iraqis themselves are sharply divided over
> whether US-led forces should leave, with 49%
> favouring their removal and 49% favouring them to
> remain.
> 
>     Support for troops staying rises only slightly,
> to 53%, if the Iraqi government requests it.
> 
>     Iraqis are the most convinced that the removal
> of Saddam Hussein was right, with 74% agreeing with
> the move.
> 
>     US President George W Bush has ruled out any
> hasty withdrawal from Iraq, saying the decision to
> will be made by military commanders, and not under
> political pressure.
> 
>   -------
> 


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