BBC: Survey finds hope in occupied Iraq - Fallujah antidote

[KurtNilsen]

An opinion poll suggests most Iraqis feel their lives have improved since the war in Iraq began about a year ago.

The survey, carried out for the BBC and other broadcasters, also suggests many are optimistic about the next 12 months and opposed to violence. <snip>

Seventy per cent of people said that things were going well or quite well in their lives, while only 29% felt things were bad.

And 56% said that things were better now than they were before the war. <snip>

The survey reflected Iraq's distribution of population, balance between men and women, and religious and ethnic mix. <snip>

The survey shows overwhelming disapproval of political violence, especially of attacks on the Iraqi police but also on American and other coalition forces.

But among Arabs, nearly one in five told the pollsters that attacks on coalition forces were acceptable.

About 15% say foreign forces should leave Iraq now, but many more say they should stay until an Iraqi government is in place or security is restored.


Looking back, more Iraqis think the invasion was right than wrong, although 41% felt that the invasion "humiliated Iraq".

But by ethnicity, only one in three Arabs believed their country was liberated - compared to four out of five Kurds. <snip>

"This poll indicates that Iraqis strongly support a unified country with strong leadership. They don't want to see the country divided up and they don't want to see an Islamic government." <snip>

A key concern for the Americans as they prepare to hand over power in June is the unpopularity of the people they are putting in place.

Leaders unloved

Their favoured son Ahmed Chalabi had no support at all, while Saddam Hussein remains one of the six most popular politicians in the country.

Dr Mustafa Alani of the Royal United Services Institute said that the Iraqis wanted a strong leader, but had not found one yet.

"The main point is that the Iraqis are now looking for a strong leader who can save the day.

"As long as the governing council is considered illegitimate and illegal in Iraq, I think they will have to work hard to find something more legitimate and more legal before they disengage from the country."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3514504.stm
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I decided to post what I think are the key findings from the major BBC survey conducted in Iraq recently. It doesn't seem to be widely known here, and I think it provides an important counterpoint to the horrible events in Fallujah. It shows that the situation is more complicated than the neo-cons or the extreme anti-war crowd admits.

Certainly not all Iraqis hate us. Some do. And unfortunately, quite a few of them reside in the Sunni triangle. These were the privilaged class, who could live like "fat cats" on the backs of ordinary iraqis. No wonder they are upset that they're sugardady is gone.

This can be made right, and must be made right. People like John Kerry and Wesley Clark god willing, will make it so.

[DrWeird]

1. That's interesting, an opinion poll a couple of years ago...

showed that the majority of Iraqis loved Saddam and wanted him to remain in power.

[KurtNilsen]

8. Thanks for a serious response.

[bahrbearian]

2. 100% of Iraqi's Voted for Sadam

When I comes to Polling I don't know about Iraq !

[KurtNilsen]

9. Are you serious?

[KG]

3. i'd like to know who and where they polled

in a country with a shattered infrastructure, largely without phones and electricity and high unemployment.

[DrWeird]

7. Yeah, and...

We invade their country, kill their brother who had a job in the military, blow up their child with a cluster bomb, haul off their father to prison based on a neighbor's "tip", shoot their mother for being in an anti-american protest, then we burst into their home, shove a gun in their face, and ask them how much they loved their beloved new leaders.

Sounds like a scientific survey to me.

[KurtNilsen]

10. Here is a link conserning the survey's methodology

http://omarmasry.net/oxford_research_international.htm

[KurtNilsen]

11. ABC at their web site probably has the best overview of

the methodology:

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/PollVault/PollVault.html


It is interesting to see the sharp divide between the Sunni arabs and the other ethnic groups.

[xchrom]

4. extreme anti-war?

i find that such a charming and dismissive attribute for those of us anti-war.
the anti-war movement is hardly extreme -- but you keep up the good effort.
let us know who you are invading next for their own good.

[KG]

5. yes, they are 'misguided progressives' don't ya know.

:eyes:

[KurtNilsen]

6. Hey... I added "extreme" precisely to avoid offending people.

I guess I failed :-)

[KurtNilsen]

12. bump