-Caveat Lector- http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=23867 Arab News SAUDI ARABIA'S FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY
Arab Opinion of US Hits All-Time Low James Zogby, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Published on 19 March 2003 WASHINGTON, 19 March 2003 — Arab public opinion toward the United States has dropped to dangerously low levels, even before an anticipated US-led attack on Iraq. These are the findings of a recent Arab American Institute/Zogby International poll (AAI/ZI) poll of 2,600 individuals from key Arab countries. The poll was conducted in early March of 2003 and had a margin of error of between +/-3.8 to +/-5. The countries polled included some of the United States’ strongest allies in the Middle East: Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In an earlier AAI/ZI poll, done in March of 2002, we found that US favorable ratings were already quite low and that the factor that drove these negative opinions was the unbalanced US policy toward the Palestinians. It appears that this year’s poll results have been impacted as well by the United States’ unilateralist approach toward Iraq. The most significant drops in US ratings occurred in Morocco and Jordan. In 2002, for example, 34 percent of Jordanians had a positive view of the United States as compared with 61 percent who had a negative view. In 2003, only 10 percent of Jordanians now hold a positive view of the United States, while 81 percent see the country in a negative light. Similarly, in Morocco the favorable/ unfavorable rating toward the United States in 2002 was 38 percent to 61 percent. Today it is 9 percent favorable and 88 percent unfavorable. The United States’ favorable/unfavorable rating was already quite low in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. It has remained low. In 2002, the ratings in Egypt were 15 percent favorable to 76 percent unfavorable. In 2003 Egyptians’ ratings of the United States are 13 percent favorable and 80 percent unfavorable. In Saudi Arabia the rating toward the Untied States was 12 percent favorable to 87 percent unfavorable in 2002. Today it has dropped to 3 percent favorable and 97 percent unfavorable. In the UAE the ratio showed almost no change from an 11 percent favorable/87 percent unfavorable in 2002 to 11 percent favorable/85 percent unfavorable in 2003. In all five countries, US policy toward Iraq received only single digit favorable ratings, while nine respondents out of ten opposed current US policy toward that country. These numbers do not translate into support for the Iraqi regime. In fact majorities in three of the five countries indicated that they want to see the regime in Baghdad disarmed of all weapons of mass destruction. In answer to the question “Do you agree or disagree that the government of Iraq should fully comply with UN weapons inspectors?” — 52 percent of all Arabs in the Emirates agreed while only 34 percent disagreed. In Egypt 51 percent agreed while 41 percent disagreed. A majority of Moroccans agrees that Baghdad should cooperate. Only in Jordan and Saudi Arabia did slightly less than one in four agree with the demand while two-thirds disagreed. What is important to note is that Arabs in all these countries do not support the United States acting unilaterally to disarm Iraq. When asked, “If Iraq does not comply with UN inspectors, or if the UN finds that Iraq has been hiding weapons of mass destruction, would you support or oppose United States unilateral military action to make Iraq comply?” Those responding positively were quite low: 14 percent (Egypt), 9 percent (UAE), 8 percent (Jordan), 3 percent (Saudi Arabia) 1 percent (Morocco). When asked, however, if they would approve of a UN endorsed effort to disarm Iraq should the regime fail to comply the percentages increased considerably: 32 percent (UAE), 29 percent (Egypt), 18 percent (Saudi Arabia), 16 percent (Morocco), 10 percent (Jordan). What should be most disturbing to US policy makers is the lack of confidence in and goodwill toward US policy that this poll establishes. In the 2002 poll, for example, we asked a number of what are called “projective” questions. For example, “If the US were to apply pressure to ensure the creation of an independent Palestinian State, would that make you more favorable, less favorable or make no difference in your attitude toward the United States?” In almost all cases, in 2002, about 80 percent of all Arab respondents indicated that this change in policy would make them more favorably inclined toward the United States. The current poll however, did not elicit such a response. Only in the UAE did a majority indicate that their attitude toward the United States would improve if “the US were to apply pressure to ensure the creation of a Palestinian State.” In Jordan, only 31 percent said their attitude would improve and in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Morocco those indicating that their attitudes toward the US would improve were 27 percent, 26 percent, and 15 percent respectively. Almost 7 of 10 in those countries indicated that their attitude would not improve. It is not clear from the poll why this hypothetical change in US policy now fails to create a change in attitudes toward the United States. Several possibilities may be suggested. Arab public opinion may simply no longer believe that the US will act in an evenhanded manner to end the Arab- Israeli conflict. In any case, what this 2003 AAI/ZI poll establishes is that the United States is treading on dangerous ground in the Arab world today. It is a fact that has been the subject of much discussion. But now we have hard numbers to support what is a widely held view. Copyright © 2003 ArabNews All Rights Reserved. Forwarded for your information. The text and intent of the article have to stand on their own merits. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe simply because it has been handed down for many genera- tions. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumoured by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is written in Holy Scriptures. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of teachers, elders or wise men. 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