Most Iraqis want US forces out after June30

[kskiska]

Baghdad, Iraq Press, January8 , 2004 – The US-led occupation troops should leave once the country assumes full sovereignty on June30 ,2004 , a new poll says.

The poll is the first since the US-led administration of Iraq signed an agreement with the Interim Governing Council on November 15 laying down the process of power handover to Iraqis that will culminate with full sovereignty on June30 .

The survey points out that 78 percent of Iraqis want the Americans and their allies “out of the county once the sovereign government is formed.”

This runs contrary to the long-term US plans for Iraq and is also a blow for the current interim leaders who would like the US forces to remain for years.

(snip)

Regarding living standards, more than half of those asked say that conditions are now worse than before the coming of the Americans to Iraq.

More than half of Iraqis are without a job and rely almost exclusively on government food rations, the poll finds.

more…
http://www.iraqpress.org/arabic.asp?fname=ipenglish\2004-01-08\1.htm

[PartyPooper]

1. This is a kick for the innocent Iraqis!

:kick:

[conservdem]

12. Read the article, it appears the innocent Iraqis are mostly in support of

what we are doing.

[Just Me]

18. Do maintain "perspective" on the poll while hoping for the best.

[number6]

2. kick

:kick: I want em out too ! bring em home (send in the chickenhawks)

[lebkuchen]

3. The unit rotation taking place now will leave replacements in Iraq until

March, 2005, nearly a year after the Iraqis would like to see us go.

Blair says he's looking to 2007, and the Bushies are talking generational commitment. The Iraqis shouldn't get their hopes up.

[0rganism]

4. I wonder what will happen when the troops are still there after August...

There's probably about 30% of the population who are giving the Americans the benefit of the doubt. If too many people lose what little good faith remains in the American soldiers, the casualty rate can only increase.

[0007]

5. I'll tell you right now what is gonna happen -

Wahhabi, the Sunni, the Kurds, the Batthis and the Shiites are gonna be pissed. Their civil war may have to wait! The Mayberry Machiavellis will take priority.

Iraqis, are politically very sophisticated despite decades of dictatorship, detect crystal-clear the
American plan, imposed at tank point, to privatize the whole country by selling its assets and
fabulous natural resources to American - and a few European - corporations.

[Just Me]

17. I really believe you are right on the mark,...

,...because they will all have a common "enemy", so to speak, the "occupiers" now that Saddam is out of the picture. However, I cannot speak with any authority whatsoever about the political sophistication or whatnot. LOL,...my guess would be they are far more sophisticated than am I.

[conservdem]

15. I think the poll shows a lot more than 30% of the Iraqis are giving

us the benefit of the doubt. Please take a look and see if you agree.

[BootinUp]

6. We're making such wonderful progress...

/sarcasm

[conservdem]

10. Read the article, it appears we are making some good progress.

[conservdem]

7. THE POLL ALSO SHOWS SOME VERY GOOD NEWS

I am heartened by some of this GOOD NEWS:

the majority of the respondents would like US-led troops to stay in the transitional period and help in the formation of the civil institutions.
...
Most Iraqis are happy with the November 15 agreement with the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority to transfer power to Iraqis by end of June.

Some 91 percent believe that the power handover will be “a basic factor” to bring about peace and stability in Iraq.

The poll indicates that 88 percent of Iraqis are against attacks mounted by the so-called “Iraqi resistance” against US troops and the newly founded Iraqi institutions.

The IGC still has the trust of the majority of Iraqis. The poll says 65 percent of Iraqis have trust in the council, but about half of them think that the Western-style democracy cannot be applied in the country.

a particular setback to those who say that most Iraqis loath the US-handpicked IGC and its 25 members.

However, the poll shows that in the long-run Iraqis would like to pick up their leaders.

The survey says that 88 percent of Iraqis want future political leaders to be elected by the people and not assemblies.

But only a fraction – seven percent – believe that the clergy whether Sunnis or Shiites should play any role in politics.

The survey, by the Independent Council for Administration Studies and Civil Society, was conducted by 85 researchers with university degrees. It covered five Iraqi cities Kirkuk Baghdad.

[underpants]

8. I agree some good news there BUT....

The poll indicates that 88 percent of Iraqis are against attacks mounted by the so-called “Iraqi resistance” against US troops and the newly founded Iraqi institutions.

12% of 25,000,000 is 6,000,000 vs. ~120,000 American troops

:scared:

[conservdem]

9. I hope the 88% can dissuade the 12% from their support of the resistance.

Also the 12% is probably not actively engaged in the resistance, I hope. Also the 12% may include some that are neither for nor against the resistance so hopefully the % that supports it is actually very much smaller.

[underpants]

11. Oh I certainly hope so

but then there might be larger numbers of people in Iraqi over the coming years that don't hold the same hope for stability and self governance.

[pippin]

13. On the Other Hand

the chimp could bring home the troops just in time to win the hearts and minds of the American people around election time.

[conservdem]

14. kick

[daleo]

16. I wonder about this site

It has subscription prices in UK pounds. There are a number of articles written from a pre-invasion stance. It was an anti-Saddam expatriate site, according to some googling. I suspect it is now a Chalabi type house organ. You may want to take its reports with a grain of salt, especially poll results.

The only note on the polling group stated:
The survey, by the Independent Council for Administration Studies and Civil Society, was conducted by 85 researchers with university degrees.

Googling this name didn't reveal any hits on any group with this name.

[Ms. Clio]

20. thank you for this info

I knew this "poll" smelled rancid.

[snippy]

19. As time goes by more and more Iraqis will want their country back.