Four Years On

19 March 2007



Poll of Iraq-Namese Shows Disappointment

Almost four years ago to the hour, America went to war with the Saddamite regime in Baghdad. Despite a quick battlefield victory, the Americans have failed in their attempt to put a friendly, democratic and secular regime in place that is dedicated to a united Iraq. Instead, the Bush administration has done for Iraq-Nam what it did for New Orleans; it sat on its hands and watched the disaster unfold. A recent poll of Iraq-Namese citizens shows the depth of their disappointment.

As the report on the poll explains, “The poll was conducted by D3 Systems for the BBC, ABC News, ARD German TV and USA Today. More than 2,000 people were questioned in more than 450 neighbourhoods and villages across all 18 provinces of Iraq between 25 February and 5 March 2007. The margin of error is + or – 2.5%.” As polls go, this is statistically a pretty sound one.

In general, the pessimism in the country is rising. The survey asked, “Overall, how would you say things are going in your life these days? Would you say things are very good, quite good, quite bad, or very bad?” In 2004, 13% said “very good” and 57% “quite good,” for an astonishing 70% in the positive thinking camp. This year, only 8% replied “very good,” and 31% said “quite good.” Those responding “quite bad” more than doubled from 14% to 32% and those for whom things were “very bad” rose from 15% to 28%.

Another question was “Now thinking about how things are going, not for you personally, but for Iraq as a whole, how would you say things are going in our country overall these days? Would you say things are going very good, quite good, quite bad, or very bad?” Interestingly, this shows a decrease in optimism. While people might believe they themselves are doing OK, even well, 2 out of 3 said the country isn’t. “Very good” got only 4%, “quite good” received 31%, “quite bad” garnered 35%, and “very bad” came in at 31%. This shows a shift from 2005, when “very good” was 14%, “quite good” 30%, “quite bad” 23% and “very bad” 30% ( in 2005, 3% refused to answer or didn’t know).

And then, the pollsters asked, “From today’s perspective and all things considered, was it absolutely right, somewhat right, somewhat wrong, or absolutely wrong that US-led coalition forces invaded Iraq in spring 2003?” “Absolutely right” got 22% this year compared with 20% in 2004; “somewhat right” dipped from 29% to 25%; “somewhat wrong” rose from 13% to 19%; and “absolutely wrong” increased from 26% to 34%. In 2004, 13% refused to answer or didn’t know, and in 2007, everyone gave an opinion. It appears that the undecided turned negative, while the percentage of those who backed the invasion to one degree or another is statistically constant.

Iraq-Nam and America have this much in common. Both are divided over a war that is entering its fifth year with no end in sight.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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