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International public opinion on the war in Afghanistan

A 47-nation global survey of public opinion conducted in June 2007 by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found considerable opposition to the NATO military operations in Afghanistan. In 2 out of the 47 countries was there a majority that favoured keeping troops in Afghanistan – Israel (59%) and Kenya (60%).[1] On the other hand, in 41 of the 47 countries pluralities wanted NATO troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible.[1] In 32 out of 47 countries majorities wanted NATO troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible. Majorities in 7 out of 12 NATO member countries wanted troops withdrawn as soon as possible.[1][2][3]

The 24-nation Pew Global Attitudes survey in June 2008 again found that majorities or pluralities in 21 of 24 countries wanted NATO troops removed from Afghanistan as soon as possible. In 3 out of the 24 countries – the U.S. (50%), Australia (60%), and Britain (48%) – public opinion favoured keeping troops there until the situation stabilized.[4] Since then, public opinion in Australia and Britain has shifted, and the majority of Australians and British now also want their troops to be brought home from Afghanistan.[5][6][7][8] Of the seven NATO countries in the survey, not one showed a majority in favor of keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan – one, the U.S., came close to a majority (50%). Of the other six NATO countries, five had majorities of their population wanting NATO troops removed from Afghanistan as soon as possible.[4]

The 25-nation Pew Global Attitudes survey in June 2009 continued to find that the war in Afghanistan was unpopular in most nations[9] and that most publics want American and NATO troops out of Afghanistan.[10] The 2009 global survey reported that majorities or pluralities in 18 out of 25 countries wanted NATO to remove their troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible.[9] (Changes from 2008 included Tanzania, South Africa, and Australia having been replaced by Israel, Kenya, the Palestinian Territories, and Canada in the survey, and shifts in opinions in India and Nigeria.) In 4 out of 25 countries was there a majority that favoured keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan – the U.S. (57%), Israel (59%), Kenya (56%), and Nigeria (52%).[9] Despite American calls for NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan, there was majority or plurality opposition to such action in every one of the NATO countries surveyed: Germany (63% opposition), France (62%), Poland (57%), Canada (55%), Britain (51%), Spain (50%), and Turkey (49%).[11]

In Europe, polls in France, Germany, Britain, and other countries showed that the European public wanted their troops to be pulled out and less money spent on the war in Afghanistan.[7][12][13][14]

International public opinion compared to American public opinion edit

In October 2001, a poll by CNN/Gallup/USA Today indicated that about 88% of Americans backed military action in Afghanistan, and a poll by Market Opinion Research indicated that about 65% of Britons supported having British troops involved.[15] On the other hand, a large-scale 37-nation poll of world opinion carried out by Gallup International in late September 2001, found that majorities in most countries favoured a legal response, in the form of extradition and trial, over a military response to 9/11: In 3 of the 37 countries surveyed – the United States, Israel, and India – did majorities favour military action. In 34 out of the 37 countries surveyed, the survey found majorities that did not favour military action: in the United Kingdom (75%), France (67%), Switzerland (87%), Czech Republic (64%), Lithuania (83%), Panama (80%), Mexico (94%), etc.[16][17]

This dichotomy between American and international public opinion on the military operations continues to be seen, although opposition to the war is growing in the U.S. as well. A Gallup poll conducted July 10–12, 2009 reported that the majority 61% of Americans do not think the U.S. made a mistake in sending military forces in 2001, while 36% of Americans do. 54% also thought things are going well for the U.S..[18] An Angus Reid poll conducted July 15–18, 2009, found that 55% of Americans support the military operation, while 35% oppose it. 49% of Americans thought their country did the right thing in sending military forces. About half, 48%, of Americans felt that they did not have a clear idea of what the war is about.[19]

Outside the United States international public opinion has been largely opposed to the war. In a 47-nation June 2007 survey of global public opinion, the Pew Global Attitudes Project found considerable opposition to NATO operations. In 4 out of the 47 countries surveyed was there a majority that favoured keeping troops: the U.S. (50%), Israel (59%), Ghana (50%), and Kenya (60%).[1] In 41 of the 47 countries, pluralities want NATO troops out as soon as possible.[1] In 32 out of 47 countries, majorities want NATO troops out as soon as possible. Majorities in 7 out of 12 NATO member countries say troops should be withdrawn as soon as possible.[1][2]

The 24-nation Pew Global Attitudes survey in June 2008 similarly found that majorities or pluralities in 21 of 24 countries want NATO to remove their troops as soon as possible. In 3 out of the 24 countries – the U.S. (50%), Australia (60%), and Britain (48%) – did public opinion lean more toward keeping troops there until the situation has stabilized.[4] Since that poll, views in Britain and Australia have also diverged from public opinion in the United States, and majorities in both Britain and Australia now want their troops to be brought back home from the war.[5][6] Of the seven NATO countries included in the survey, none showed a majority in favor of keeping NATO troops until the situation stabilised – only the United States came close to a majority (50%). Of the other six NATO countries, five had majorities of their population wanting NATO troops to be removed as soon as possible: Spain (56%), France (54%), Germany (54%), Poland (65%), and Turkey (72%).[4]

The 25-nation Pew Global Attitudes survey in June 2009 continued to find the war to be unpopular in most nations,[9] with most publics wanting American and NATO troops out as soon as possible.[10] The 2009 global survey reported that majorities or pluralities in 18 out of 25 countries want NATO to remove their troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible.[9] (Changes from the 2008 survey included Tanzania, South Africa, and Australia having been replaced by Israel, Kenya, the Palestinian Territories, and Canada in the survey, as well as shifts in opinions in India and Nigeria.) In 4 out of 25 countries was there a majority that favoured keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan – the U.S. (57%), Israel (59%), Kenya (56%), and Nigeria (52%).[9] In 1 of the 8 NATO countries included in the survey – the U.S. – was there a majority in favour of keeping NATO troops until the situation stabilised. Despite repeated American calls for NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan, there was majority or plurality opposition to such action in all seven of the other NATO countries surveyed: Germany (63% disapprove), France (62%), Poland (57%), Canada (55%), Britain (51%), Spain (50%), and Turkey (49%).[11]

The 22-nation Pew Global Attitudes survey released in June 2010 again continued to find the war unpopular in most nations. The poll reported that majorities or pluralities in 16 of 22 countries want the military forces to be withdrawn "as soon as possible". One country out of the 22 was there a majority that supported keeping troops until the situation stabilizes (57% in Kenya).[20]

United States edit

Growing opposition to the war edit

While support for the war continues to be strongest in the U.S. and Israel,[9][21] recent polls have also shown growing opposition in the U.S., including majority opposition.[22]

A Washington Post – ABC poll conducted July 15–18, 2009 found that just half of Americans, 51%, think the war is worth fighting, while nearly half, 45%, think the war is not worth fighting – a statistical tie within the poll's ±3 point margin of error.[23][24][25] The American public is also closely divided on whether the United States is making significant progress toward winning the war, with 46% thinking so and 42% not.[24]

An Associated Press – GfK poll conducted July 16–20, 2009 found that the majority 53% of Americans oppose the war, while 44% support it. It furthermore found that the plurality of Americans, 34%, strongly opposed the war, while 20% strongly favored it. (Another 19% somewhat opposed the war, 20% somewhat favored it, and 3% did not know or declined to answer.)[26][27][28]

A CNN – Opinion Research poll conducted July 31 – August 3, 2009 also found that most Americans now oppose the war. In a new low in American public support for the war, 54% of Americans said they opposed the war, while 41% supported it.[29][30]

Following the August 20, 2009 election in Afghanistan that was characterized by widespread lack of security and massive fraud, and capping off the two deadliest months for U.S. troops in the 8-year war, the CNN-Opinion Research poll conducted August 28–31, 2009 registered the highest level of opposition to the war the poll has yet seen. A majority 57% of Americans now oppose the war in Afghanistan, while 42% still support it.[31][32][33][34][35]

A Washington Post – ABC News poll conducted September 10–12, 2009 reported that:

Americans are broadly skeptical of President Obama's contention that the war is necessary for the war against terrorism to be a success, and few see an increase in troops as the right thing to do.

The poll found that the plurality 42% of Americans now want a reduction of the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and that 26% of Americans think more troops should be sent to Afghanistan.[36]

The CNN – Opinion Research poll conducted September 11–13, 2009, found that American opposition to the war reached a new all-time high, while American support for the war fell to a new all-time low. The majority 58% of Americans now oppose the war, while 39% support it.[37]

Keating Holland, CNN's polling director, observed that:

The Afghan war is almost as unpopular as the Iraq war has been for the past four years.

He noted that support for the war in Iraq had first dropped to 39 percent in June 2005 then generally remained in the low to mid-30s since.[37]

The Associated Press – GfK poll conducted October 1–5, 2009 found the majority 57% of Americans oppose the war, up 4% from July, while 40% favor the war, down 4% from July.[38]

The CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted October 30 – November 1, 2009 found that the majority 58% of Americans oppose the war, while 40% support it. The majority 56% of Americans also oppose sending more U.S. troops, while 42% favor doing so.[39]

The Pew Research poll conducted October 28 – November 8, 2009 found that the majority 59% of Americans oppose sending more U.S. troops: The plurality 40% of Americans want the number of U.S. troops to be reduced, and 19% want the number of troops to remain unchanged. 32% support sending more U.S. troops.[40]

The Gallup poll conducted November 5–8, 2009 found that the majority 51% of Americans oppose sending more U.S. troops: The plurality 44% of Americans want the number of U.S. troops to be reduced, and 7% want the number to be kept unchanged.[41][42]

The Associated Press – GfK poll conducted November 5–9, 2009 again found that the majority 57% of Americans oppose the war, while 39% favor it.[43][44]

The ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted November 12–15, 2009 found that the majority 52% of Americans now say the war is not worth fighting, a new high in opposition for the poll question first asked in 2007, and that 44% say it is worth fighting, a new low in support. The majority 76% of Americans do not feel that withdrawing would increase the risk of terrorism in the U.S. while 23% feel that it would.[45][46][47][48]

The CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted December 16–20, 2009 found that the majority 55% of Americans oppose the war, while 43% support it.[49]

The AP/GfK poll conducted January 12–17, 2010 found that the majority 54% of Americans oppose the war, while 43% support it. The plurality of Americans, 32%, "strongly oppose" the war, while 18% "strongly favor" it. The majority 55% of Americans oppose sending more U.S. troops, while 41% would support doing so. The plurality 34% of Americans "strongly oppose" sending more troops, while 17% "strongly favor" doing so.[50]

The ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted April 22–25, 2010 showed that the majority 52% of Americans think the war has not been worth fighting, and the plurality 38% of Americans "strongly" think that it has not been worth fighting. 45% of Americans think that the war being carried out has been worth fighting, with 26% of Americans that feel that way strongly.[51]

The CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted May 21–23, 2010 found that the majority 56% of Americans oppose their country's war, while 42% support it.[52]

The ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted June 3–6, 2010 showed that the majority 53% of Americans think the war has not been worth fighting, and the plurality 41% of Americans "strongly" think that it has not been worth fighting. 44% of Americans think that the war being carried out has been worth fighting, with 26% of Americans that feel that way strongly.[53]

The ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted July 7–11, 2010 found that 76% of Americans want to start withdrawing troops by next summer or sooner: 45% call Obama's plan to start withdrawing troops by next summer "about right", and an additional 31% call for the withdrawal to start even sooner. 18% think the withdrawal should start later. The majority 53% of Americans think the war has not been worth fighting, with the plurality 38% of Americans "strongly" feeling so. The poll reported that support for the war hit a new low in the United States: 43% of Americans think the war has been worth fighting, down sharply since the end of the previous year, and the lowest since the question was asked in February 2007.[54][55]

The CBS News poll conducted July 9–12, 2010 found that the majority 58% of Americans want their troops withdrawn from the war within the next one or two years, and 35% were willing to have U.S. troops stay longer than two years from now. One-third, 33%, of Americans think large numbers of U.S. troops should be withdrawn in less than a year, another 23% think that should be done within one or two years, and 2% want an immediate withdrawal. 26% of Americans think U.S. troops should remain for as long as it takes, 7% think they should stay another two to five years, and 2% think they should stay for another five to ten years.[54][56]

The CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted August 6–10, 2010 showed the American public's opposition to the war at an all-time high. The majority 62% of Americans oppose the war, the highest level since the poll question was asked in 2006, while 37% favored the war, an all-time low.[57]

The CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted December 17–19, 2010 again showed the American public's opposition to the war reaching a new all-time high. The majority 63% of Americans oppose the war, the highest level reached since the poll question was asked in 2006, while 35% favored the war, again a new all-time low.[58]

Opposition by the American public to the war also reached an all-time high in polling by ABC News and the Washington Post in December 2010. A record 60% majority of Americans say the war has not been worth fighting, while 34% say it has, a new record low of support of the war. The unpopularity of the war has now reached the levels seen for the war in Iraq. 81% of Americans want the withdrawal of American military forces to begin within a few months – either in the summer of 2011 as pledged by President Obama, or even sooner than that.[59][60]

In January 2011, the USA Today / Gallup poll of January 14–16 reported that the majority 72% of Americans want the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan to be accelerated – including majorities in the three political groups – while 25% disagree. Of note, the plurality of Americans, 41%, "strongly" favor speeding up the withdrawal, while 6% "strongly" oppose doing so.[61][62][63]

In March 2011, the Washington Post / ABC News poll of March 10–13 reported that the majority 64% of Americans say that the war is no longer worth fighting – the highest level of American opposition to the war measured by the poll – while 31% thought it was – the lowest level of support to date. Nearly three-quarters of Americans, 73%, want President Obama to withdraw a "substantial number" of troops this summer – while 21% do not. Nearly half of Americans, the plurality 49%, "strongly" think the war is not worth fighting, while 17% strongly think it is.[64][65]

Following the killing of Osama bin Laden, the USA Today / Gallup poll of May 5–8, 2011, reported that the majority 59% of Americans think the U.S. has finished its work and its troops should be brought home. 36% disagreed, and not a single major demographic group had a majority that favored keeping U.S. military forces in Afghanistan.[66][67][68]

The Associated Press – GfK poll conducted May 5–9, 2011 reported that the majority 59% of Americans oppose the war, with the plurality 32% of Americans "strongly" opposed to it. 37% of Americans favored the war, the lowest level of support to date. The majority 80% of Americans approve of President Barack Obama's decision to end all U.S. combat operations by 2014 and to begin the withdrawal of troops in July, with the plurality 52% "strongly" approving the ending of combat operations. 15% disapproved, with 8% "strongly" disapproving. The majority 83% of Americans think the announced pace of withdrawal is either about right or too slow, while 15% think it is too fast.[69]

The CBS News / New York Times poll of June 24–28, 2011 reported that the majority 58% of Americans oppose the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan – the highest level of opposition yet recorded by the poll – while 35% thought the U.S. was doing the "right thing" in fighting its war. 79% of Americans approve of the announced withdrawal of all U.S. troops by the end of 2014, with 59% of Americans wanting even more than one-third of all U.S. troops withdrawn within the next year, by the end of summer 2012. Altogether, 85% of Americans – including the 75% of Republicans – want at least one-third of U.S. troops withdrawn within the next year, by the end of summer 2012.[70][71]

In January 2013, the Media and Public Opinion Research Group reported that most Americans want the U.S. to pull out of Afghanistan: 37% think the U.S. should withdraw troops gradually, while 30.2% say the U.S. should withdraw immediately.[72]

In December 2013, a CNN/ORC International poll revealed that 17% supported the Afghanistan war.[73]

The Pew Research Center poll released at the 10th anniversary of the U.S. invasion reported that the majority 52% of Americans think that, considering the costs versus the benefits to the United States, the war has not been worth fighting, while 41% think it has.[74]

"Do you favor or oppose the U.S. war in Afghanistan?"
Date Favor Oppose Unsure
Jun. 3–7, 2011 36% 62% 2%
May 2, 2011 42% 52% 5%
Jan. 21–23, 2011 40% 58% 1%
Dec. 17–19, 2010 35% 63% 5%
Oct. 5–7, 2010 37% 58% 5%
Sep. 21–23, 2010 39% 58% 3%
Sep. 1–2, 2010 41% 57% 2%
Aug. 6–10, 2010 37% 62% 1%
May 21–23, 2010 42% 56% 2%
Mar. 19–21, 2010 48% 49% 3%
Jan. 22–24, 2010 47% 52% 1%
Dec. 16–20, 2009 43% 55% 3%
Dec. 2–3, 2009 46% 51% 2%
Nov. 13–15, 2009 45% 52% 3%
Oct. 30 – Nov. 1, 2009 40% 58% 2%
Oct. 16–18, 2009 41% 57% 2%
Sep. 11–13, 2009 39% 58% 3%
Aug. 28–31, 2009 42% 57% 2%
Jul. 31 – Aug. 3, 2009 41% 54% 5%
May 14–17, 2009 50% 48% 3%
Apr. 3–5, 2009 53% 46% 1%
Feb. 18–19, 2009 47% 51% 2%
Dec. 1–2, 2008 52% 46% 2%
Jul. 27–29, 2008 46% 52% 2%
Jan. 19–21, 2007 44% 52% 4%
Sep. 22–24, 2006 50% 48% 2%

(Pluralities over the ±3 margin of error indicated in bold. Lowest levels indicated in italics. Source: CNN/Opinion Research Corporation[58][75][76])

"Do you favor or oppose the war in Afghanistan?"
Date Favor Oppose Don't know / Refused
May 5–9, 2011 37% 59% 3%
Sep. 8–13, 2010 37% 62% 3%
Aug. 11–16, 2010 38% 58% 3%
Mar. 3–8, 2010 46% 50% 3%
Jan. 12–17, 2010 43% 54% 3%
Dec. 10–14, 2009 39% 57% 4%
Nov. 5–9, 2009 39% 57% 4%
Oct. 1–5, 2009 40% 57% 3%
Jul. 16–20, 2009 44% 53% 4%

(Pluralities over the ±3% margin of error indicated in bold. Lowest levels indicated in italics. Source: AP/GfK[50][69][75])

"Do you think the U.S. doing the right thing fighting the war in Afghanistan now, or should the U.S. not be involved in Afghanistan now?"
Date Right thing Should not be involved Unsure
September 28 – October 2, 2011 34% 57% 9%
June 24–28, 2011 35% 58% 7%
June 3–7, 2011 43% 51% 6%
March 18–21, 2011 39% 53% 8%
February 11–14, 2011 37% 54% 9%
September 10–14, 2010 38% 54% 8%
August 20–24, 2010 43% 48% 9%
December 4–8, 2009 49% 39% 11%
October 5–8, 2009 51% 39% 10%
September 19–23, 2009 47% 42% 11%

(Pluralities over the ±3% margin of error indicated in bold. Lowest levels indicated in italics. Source: CBS News[75][77])

Dichotomy between Republicans and Democrats edit

A dichotomy between Republicans and Democrats exists as well. The Associated Press – GfK poll conducted July 16–20, 2009 found 66% of Republicans favoring the war, while 26% of Democrats do.[26][27][28][78]

The CNN – Opinion Research poll conducted July 31 – August 3, 2009 found that nearly two-thirds of Republicans support the war, while three quarters of Democrats oppose the war. CNN polling director Keating Holland said:[29][30]

Afghanistan is almost certainly the Obama policy that Republicans like the most.

An ABC News-Washington Post poll conducted August 13–17, 2009 found that 78% of conservative Republicans think the war is worth fighting, while 22% of liberal Democrats do. 65% of conservative Republicans also think that the U.S. is winning the war. 64% of liberal Democrats want the number of U.S. troopsto be reduced, while 22% of conservative Republicans do.[79]

A McClatchy-Ipsos poll conducted August 27–31, 2009, reported that 66% of Democrats and 67% of independents oppose sending more U.S. troops. In one group was there a majority in favor of sending more troops, with 52% of Republicans favoring a further escalation.[80]

The CNN – Opinion Research poll conducted August 28–31, 2009 again showed that most of the support for the war is from Republicans. Seven in ten Republicans support the war, while nearly three quarters of Democrats oppose the war, as do 57% of independents.[31][34]

The Washington Post – ABC News poll conducted September 10–12, 2009 found that the majority 56% of Democrats want a reduction of the number of U.S. troops, while the plurality 39% of Republicans want more troops to be sent to the war. 17% of Democrats support sending more troops. The poll also reported that the majority 59% of Democrats think the "war on terrorism" can be a success without winning, while the majority 66% of Republicans think the war must be won to win the "war on terrorism".[36][81]

The CNN – Opinion Research poll conducted September 11–13, 2009 found that 23% of Democrats and 39% independents support the war, while a majority 62% of Republicans support the war. The majority 75% of Democrats oppose the war.[37][82]

The USA Today – Gallup poll conducted September 22–23, 2009 found that the majority 62% of Democrats oppose sending more U.S. troops, while the majority 63% of Republicans favor sending more U.S. troops. The majority 53% of Democrats want to begin a withdrawal of U.S. troops, while 24% of Republicans want a withdrawal to begin. 30% of Democrats support sending more U.S. troops. Nearly half, 49% of independents oppose sending more U.S. troops, and the plurality 43% of independents also want to begin to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.[83]

The Pew Research Center poll conducted September 10–15, 2009 found that 56% of Democrats want to remove NATO troops "as soon as possible", while, in contrast, 71% of Republicans favor keeping them. By nearly two to one, 55% to 29%, Republicans also thought the U.S. is making progress rather than losing ground in defeating the Taliban militarily. Among Democrats and independents 46% and 49%, respectively, said the U.S. is losing ground in defeating the Taliban militarily.[84][85][86]

The Associated Press – GfK poll conducted October 1–5, 2009 found that the majority 57% of Democrats oppose sending more troops, while, on the other hand, the majority 69% of Republicans favor sending more troops there.[87]

The Clarus Research poll conducted October 1–4, 2009, found that 17% of Democrats supported sending more troops. The majority 61% of Democrats want to "decrease U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan and begin to get out". The majority 54% of Republicans favor sending more U.S. troops. Ron Faucheux, president of Clarus Research Group, said:[88]

Should President Obama decide to send more troops to Afghanistan, he will do it in the face of strong opposition from voters in his own party.

In a USA Today / Gallup poll conducted October 6, 2009, 59% of Democrats, and 50% of independents, opposed sending more troops, while 73% of Republicans favored sending more troops. Half, 50%, of Democrats wanted President Obama to begin to withdraw U.S. troops, while 18% of Republicans wanted this.[89]

In the CBS News poll conducted October 5–8, 2009, the majority 52% of Democrats wanted to decrease the number of U.S. troops, while the majority 57% of Republicans wanted to increase the number of U.S. troops. 27% of Democrats support sending more troops. The majority 76% of Republicans think the U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting the war, while, on the other hand, the plurality 49% of Democrats think the U.S. should not be involved.[90]

In the ABC News – Washington Post poll conducted October 15–18, 2009, the majority 60% of Democrats opposed sending more U.S. troops, while the majority 69% of Republicans favored sending more troops. 36% of Democrats felt the war was worth fighting, while 71% of Republicans did.[91][92][93]

In the Pew Research poll conducted October 28 – November 8, 2009, the majority 70% of Democrats oppose sending more U.S. troops, while 48% of Republicans favor sending more troops there. The plurality 50% of Democrats want the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to be reduced, while 25% of Republicans did as well.[40]

In the Gallup poll conducted November 5–8, 2009, the majority 66% of Democrats oppose sending more U.S. troops, while 63% of Republicans want to send more troops. The majority 60% of Democrats want President Obama to, in fact, begin reducing U.S. troop levels. 26% of Republicans wanted a reduction in troops to begin. Gallup noted:[41][42]

In the ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted November 12–15, 2009, the political divide in the U.S. over the war continued: the majority 66% of Democrats say the war is not worth fighting, with nearly half of Democrats, 48%, feeling strongly that the war is not worth fighting, while, on the other hand, the majority 60% of Republicans say that it is worth fighting, with 43% of Republicans feeling strongly that it is.[94]

The CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted May 21–23, 2010 noted that the war remained popular with Republicans, with a majority two-thirds of them favoring continuation of the war. 27% of Democrats supported the war, and among independents support has fallen to 40%.[52]

The Pew Global Attitudes survey released in June 2010 also noted the significant partisan difference, finding that nearly two-thirds, a 65% majority, of Republicans wanted to continue to keep the military forces in Afghanistan indefinitely, while 36% of Democrats supported this.[20]

The ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted June 3–6, 2010 similarly reported that the majority 62% of Republicans think the almost-nine-year war imposed on that country has been worth its costs to the U.S., while the majority two-thirds, 66%, of Democrats and 53% of independents think it has not been worth fighting. In fact, the majority 54% of Democratic-leaning Americans "strongly" think that the war has not been worth fighting.[53]

The CBS News poll conducted July 9–12, 2010 also reported the strong partisan divide over the war. The 73% majority of Democrats want a timetable set for withdrawal, while the majority 66% of Republicans do not. The nearly-three-quarters majority, 74%, of Democrats want most U.S. troops to be withdrawn within a year or two, while a majority 52% of Republicans want them to stay longer than another two years.[54][56]

The CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted October 5–7, 2010 reported that 68% of Democrats oppose the war, while, on the other hand, the majority 51% of Republicans favor the war, the only group of respondents to do so. 28% of Democrats support the war. Among Independents, the majority 61% oppose the war, while 35% support it.[95]

The ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted December 9–12, 2010 continued to find that Republicans remained the most supportive of warfare in Afghanistan: albeit down 35% from the peak in 2007, 50% of Republicans still say the war has been worth fighting in that country. Among Democrats 36% think the war has been worth fighting.[59][60]

In the CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted December 17–19, 2010, the three-quarters majority of Democratic voters oppose the war, as do more than six in ten independent voters, while, on the other hand, 52% of Republicans, and 52% of Tea Party supporters, supported continuation of the war.[58]

The Washington Post / ABC News poll conducted March 10–13, 2011 reported that 19% of Democratic voters think the war is worth fighting – compared to half of Republican supporters, the chief constituency supporting the war. The majority two-thirds of independent voters think the war is not worth fighting, while about one-in-four think it is. 80% of independent voters want Barack Obama to withdraw a "substantial number" of troops from Afghanistan "this summer".[64][65]

In the USA Today / Gallup poll conducted May 5–8, 2011, a week following the killing of Osama bin Laden, Democratic and independent voters, by a 2-to-1 margin, believe the U.S. has finished its work and should now bring its troops home. The majority two-thirds of Democratic voters, 66%, think that U.S. troops should now be brought home, as do the majority 62% of independent voters. Among Republican voters, an equal number, 47%, think that the American troops should be brought home, and 47% do not. Not a single major demographic group had a majority that favored keeping U.S. military forces in Afghanistan.[66][67][68]

In the Gallup poll conducted June 25–26, 2011, the majority of Democratic and independent voters favor the announced withdrawal of all U.S. troops by 2014. 87% of Democratic voters and 74% of independent voters favor the planned withdrawal, with 11% and 21% opposed. 50% of Republican voters also favor the announced withdrawal, while 43% opposed it. In the same poll 54% of Republicans thought a timetable should not be set.[96]

In the CBS News / New York Times poll conducted June 24–28, 2011, the majority 60% of Democratic voters and 63% of independent voters oppose their country's military involvement, while 32% and 28%, respectively, support it. 90% of Democratic voters and 79% of independent voters approved of the plan to withdraw all U.S. troops by the end of 2014. 94% of Democratic voters and 84% of independent voters want at least one-third of U.S. troops withdrawn within a year, by the end of summer 2012. On the other hand, Republican voters were split, with 48% opposed to the U.S. military involvement and 47% supporting it. 67% of Republican voters approve of President Obama's plan to withdraw all U.S. troops by the end of 2014, and 75% want at least one-third of the troops withdrawn within a year, by the end of summer 2012.[70][71]

In the Pew Research Center poll released at the 10th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the longest period of sustained warfare in its history, the majority 59% of Democratic voters and the majority 58% of independent voters think the war has not been worth fighting, while 34% and 36%, respectively, think it has. On the other hand, the majority 56% of Republicans think the decade-long war has been worth fighting, while 37% think it has not.[74]

Increasing opposition to the war among conservatives edit

In a January 2011 poll of conservatives, 66% of self-identified conservative voters and Tea Party supporters call for either a reduction of U.S. troop levels (the 39% plurality) or a complete withdrawal "as soon as possible" (27%). 24% think that the current levels of troops should be maintained. The majority 71% of conservative voters, including over two-thirds of Tea Party supporters, are worried that the war's cost to American taxpayers – $120 billion spent on the war in 2010 – will make it more difficult to reduce the U.S. deficit next year and balance the U.S. federal budget in the next decade. The poll for the Afghanistan Study Group was conducted January 4–10, 2011.[97][98]

A USA Today / Gallup poll conducted January 14–16, 2011 also reported that, behind an 86% of Democrats and 72% of independents, there was now also 61% of self-identified conservatives calling for an accelerated withdrawal of U.S. troops.[61][62][63]

In the Gallup poll conducted June 25–26, 2011, 50% of Republican voters generally favor the announced withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by 2014, while 43% opposed it.[96]

In the CBS News / New York Times poll conducted June 24–28, 2011, 67% of Republican voters approve of the plan to withdraw all U.S. troops by the end of summer 2012, and 75% of Republican voters want at least one-third of U.S. troops withdrawn by the end of summer 2012: the plurality 41% of Republican voters want more than one-third of U.S. troops withdrawn in this timeframe, 34% want about a third, while 18% thought it should be less than one-third.[70][71]

Opinions of the public in NATO allies of the U.S. edit

2008 edit

In the Pew Global Attitudes survey conducted in 2008, the majority of respondents in five of the six NATO partners expressed a desire for an early troop withdrawal, and not one of the six showed majority support for maintaining troops in Afghanistan. In 2009, not one of the seven NATO allies in the Pew Global Attitudes survey had majority support for continuing to keep military forces there, but all seven of the NATO allies in the survey had majority or strong plurality opposition to sending more troops.[4][9][11]

2009 edit

The June 2009 "Transatlantic Trends" survey of 13 NATO countries, also from an American policy think tank, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, further underlined the publics' opposition to the war in NATO countries involved with the U.S. in Afghanistan.[99][100]

The majorities of the populations of all 12 of the NATO nations surveyed in Europe and Turkey want their military forces in Afghanistan to be reduced or completely withdrawn – United Kingdom (60%), France (51%), Germany (57%), Italy (55%), Netherlands (50%), Poland (68%), Portugal (52%), Spain (54%), Slovakia (61%), Bulgaria (72%), Romania (61%), Turkey (50%).[99][100]

The majority 55% of West Europeans and the majority 69% of East Europeans want to reduce or remove their troops from Afghanistan, with complete troop removal called for by 51% of Poles, 50% of Bulgarians, 48% of Romanians, 41% of Britons, and 41% of Germans.[99]

Despite pressure from the Obama administration to increase their troop levels in Afghanistan, the public is strongly opposed in all 12 of the NATO ally countries surveyed. 77% of people, in the 12 NATO countries surveyed in the Europe Union and Turkey oppose sending more troops to Afghanistan. Fewer than 1 in 5 people, 19%, in the 12 NATO countries supported sending more troops.[99]

Level of support for sending more troops to Afghanistan
NATO member % Support 2009 % Support 2010 % Support 2011
United States 30% 25% 6%
United Kingdom 11% 7% 3%
France 4% 4% 2%
Germany 7% 7% 4%
Italy 6% 4% 2%
Netherlands 4% 4% 5%
Poland 5% 2% 2%
Portugal 4% 2% 3%
Spain 7% 6% 3%
Slovakia 2% 3% 2%
Bulgaria 2% 2% 1%
Romania 5% 6% 2%
Turkey 14% 16% 12%

(Source: German Marshall Fund of the United States – Transatlantic Trends June 2009, 2010, and 2011 surveys[100][101])

The poll of the NATO countries, conducted in June 2009, about 2 months before the Afghan election, also reported that 56% of Americans were optimistic about stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan, whereas the majority 62% of people in the 12 NATO countries in Europe and Turkey were not.[99]

In the 2009 Pew Global Attitudes Project survey, none of the seven NATO allies surveyed had majority support for keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan. Despite repeated American calls for their NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan, there was majority or plurality opposition to such action in all seven of the NATO ally countries surveyed: Germany (63% disapprove), France (62%), Poland (57%), Canada (55%), Britain (51%), Spain (50%), and Turkey (49%).[11]

2010 edit

In 2010, none of the six NATO allies in the Pew Global Attitudes survey had majority support for keeping troops in Afghanistan. The survey found instead that the majorities and pluralities of the public in 5 out of 6 NATO member countries want the NATO military forces to be removed from Afghanistan "as soon as possible". A 67% majority in Turkey, 58% majority in Germany, 52% majority in France, 49% plurality in Spain, 44% plurality in Poland, and 45% in the United Kingdom all want the NATO military forces to be removed from Afghanistan "as soon as possible".[20]

The Transatlantic Trends June 2010 study by the German Marshall Fund of the United States found that pluralities all of the 12 NATO ally countries surveyed, and majorities in 11 out of 12 of them, want to withdraw all or some of their troops from Afghanistan.[101][102]

For the 12 European NATO countries surveyed as a whole, 70% think their country should begin to withdraw troops immediately (36%) or in 2011 if conditions permit (36%). 23% think their troops should stay as long as it takes to "stabilize" Afghanistan. The majority 62% of the European NATO populations surveyed want a complete withdrawal of all of their troops (the 43% plurality) or a reduction of troops (19%). 28% would keep the troop numbers at their current levels. 6% would agree to send more troops to Afghanistan.[101][102]

2011 edit

The Transatlantic Trends June 2011 study by the German Marshall Fund of the United States found that majorities in the United States (66%) and in all 11 European NATO member countries surveyed – the United Kingdom (69%), Germany (70%), France (64%), Italy (65%), Poland (73%), Portugal (58%), Spain (57%), Netherlands (55%), Romania (67%), Bulgaria (63%), and Slovakia (64%) – want all or some troops withdrawn from Afghanistan. For all 11 European NATO countries taken as a whole, the majority 66% of Europeans in the NATO countries surveyed want all or some of their troops withdrawn from Afghanistan: the plurality 44% want all of their troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan, another 22% want some of their troops to be withdrawn to reduce the number there. Less than one in three, 29%, support maintaining the current number of troops in Afghanistan, and 3% would support sending yet more troops.[103]

In December 2010, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, acknowledged the opposition of the public in almost all countries:

Public opinion would be … in terms of majority, against their participation [in the war].[3]

2014 edit

Marek Obrtel, former Lieutenant Colonel in Field Hospital with Czech Republic army, returned his medals which he received during his posting in Afghanistan War for NATO operations. He criticized the War on Terror as describing the mission as "deeply ashamed that I served a criminal organization such as NATO, led by the USA and its perverse interests around the world."[104][105][106]

See also edit

References edit

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External links edit

  • , a ground-breaking documentary focusing on key issues surrounding the war, available for viewing online in 6 parts.
Part 1:  · Part 2:  · Part 3:  · Part 4:  · Part 5:  · Part 6:
  • "Afghanistan by the Numbers – Measuring a War Gone to Hell by Tom Engelhardt, September 8, 2009 (thenation.com)". Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  • Anand Gopal (2008-12-08). . Alternet. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04.
  • The Afghan Victim Memorial Project
  • Human Rights First;
  • Public opinion and the war in Afghanistan
  • New Low for Afghanistan War: 47 Percent of Military Families Want Troops Brought Home November 24, 2010
  • The Reality Page

international, public, opinion, afghanistan, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, require, cleanup, meet, wikipedia, quality, standards, clean. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia s quality standards No cleanup reason has been specified Please help improve this article if you can February 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information December 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message A 47 nation global survey of public opinion conducted in June 2007 by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found considerable opposition to the NATO military operations in Afghanistan In 2 out of the 47 countries was there a majority that favoured keeping troops in Afghanistan Israel 59 and Kenya 60 1 On the other hand in 41 of the 47 countries pluralities wanted NATO troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible 1 In 32 out of 47 countries majorities wanted NATO troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible Majorities in 7 out of 12 NATO member countries wanted troops withdrawn as soon as possible 1 2 3 The 24 nation Pew Global Attitudes survey in June 2008 again found that majorities or pluralities in 21 of 24 countries wanted NATO troops removed from Afghanistan as soon as possible In 3 out of the 24 countries the U S 50 Australia 60 and Britain 48 public opinion favoured keeping troops there until the situation stabilized 4 Since then public opinion in Australia and Britain has shifted and the majority of Australians and British now also want their troops to be brought home from Afghanistan 5 6 7 8 Of the seven NATO countries in the survey not one showed a majority in favor of keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan one the U S came close to a majority 50 Of the other six NATO countries five had majorities of their population wanting NATO troops removed from Afghanistan as soon as possible 4 The 25 nation Pew Global Attitudes survey in June 2009 continued to find that the war in Afghanistan was unpopular in most nations 9 and that most publics want American and NATO troops out of Afghanistan 10 The 2009 global survey reported that majorities or pluralities in 18 out of 25 countries wanted NATO to remove their troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible 9 Changes from 2008 included Tanzania South Africa and Australia having been replaced by Israel Kenya the Palestinian Territories and Canada in the survey and shifts in opinions in India and Nigeria In 4 out of 25 countries was there a majority that favoured keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan the U S 57 Israel 59 Kenya 56 and Nigeria 52 9 Despite American calls for NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan there was majority or plurality opposition to such action in every one of the NATO countries surveyed Germany 63 opposition France 62 Poland 57 Canada 55 Britain 51 Spain 50 and Turkey 49 11 In Europe polls in France Germany Britain and other countries showed that the European public wanted their troops to be pulled out and less money spent on the war in Afghanistan 7 12 13 14 Contents 1 International public opinion compared to American public opinion 2 United States 2 1 Growing opposition to the war 2 2 Dichotomy between Republicans and Democrats 2 3 Increasing opposition to the war among conservatives 3 Opinions of the public in NATO allies of the U S 3 1 2008 3 2 2009 3 3 2010 3 4 2011 3 5 2014 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksInternational public opinion compared to American public opinion editIn October 2001 a poll by CNN Gallup USA Today indicated that about 88 of Americans backed military action in Afghanistan and a poll by Market Opinion Research indicated that about 65 of Britons supported having British troops involved 15 On the other hand a large scale 37 nation poll of world opinion carried out by Gallup International in late September 2001 found that majorities in most countries favoured a legal response in the form of extradition and trial over a military response to 9 11 In 3 of the 37 countries surveyed the United States Israel and India did majorities favour military action In 34 out of the 37 countries surveyed the survey found majorities that did not favour military action in the United Kingdom 75 France 67 Switzerland 87 Czech Republic 64 Lithuania 83 Panama 80 Mexico 94 etc 16 17 This dichotomy between American and international public opinion on the military operations continues to be seen although opposition to the war is growing in the U S as well A Gallup poll conducted July 10 12 2009 reported that the majority 61 of Americans do not think the U S made a mistake in sending military forces in 2001 while 36 of Americans do 54 also thought things are going well for the U S 18 An Angus Reid poll conducted July 15 18 2009 found that 55 of Americans support the military operation while 35 oppose it 49 of Americans thought their country did the right thing in sending military forces About half 48 of Americans felt that they did not have a clear idea of what the war is about 19 Outside the United States international public opinion has been largely opposed to the war In a 47 nation June 2007 survey of global public opinion the Pew Global Attitudes Project found considerable opposition to NATO operations In 4 out of the 47 countries surveyed was there a majority that favoured keeping troops the U S 50 Israel 59 Ghana 50 and Kenya 60 1 In 41 of the 47 countries pluralities want NATO troops out as soon as possible 1 In 32 out of 47 countries majorities want NATO troops out as soon as possible Majorities in 7 out of 12 NATO member countries say troops should be withdrawn as soon as possible 1 2 The 24 nation Pew Global Attitudes survey in June 2008 similarly found that majorities or pluralities in 21 of 24 countries want NATO to remove their troops as soon as possible In 3 out of the 24 countries the U S 50 Australia 60 and Britain 48 did public opinion lean more toward keeping troops there until the situation has stabilized 4 Since that poll views in Britain and Australia have also diverged from public opinion in the United States and majorities in both Britain and Australia now want their troops to be brought back home from the war 5 6 Of the seven NATO countries included in the survey none showed a majority in favor of keeping NATO troops until the situation stabilised only the United States came close to a majority 50 Of the other six NATO countries five had majorities of their population wanting NATO troops to be removed as soon as possible Spain 56 France 54 Germany 54 Poland 65 and Turkey 72 4 The 25 nation Pew Global Attitudes survey in June 2009 continued to find the war to be unpopular in most nations 9 with most publics wanting American and NATO troops out as soon as possible 10 The 2009 global survey reported that majorities or pluralities in 18 out of 25 countries want NATO to remove their troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible 9 Changes from the 2008 survey included Tanzania South Africa and Australia having been replaced by Israel Kenya the Palestinian Territories and Canada in the survey as well as shifts in opinions in India and Nigeria In 4 out of 25 countries was there a majority that favoured keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan the U S 57 Israel 59 Kenya 56 and Nigeria 52 9 In 1 of the 8 NATO countries included in the survey the U S was there a majority in favour of keeping NATO troops until the situation stabilised Despite repeated American calls for NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan there was majority or plurality opposition to such action in all seven of the other NATO countries surveyed Germany 63 disapprove France 62 Poland 57 Canada 55 Britain 51 Spain 50 and Turkey 49 11 The 22 nation Pew Global Attitudes survey released in June 2010 again continued to find the war unpopular in most nations The poll reported that majorities or pluralities in 16 of 22 countries want the military forces to be withdrawn as soon as possible One country out of the 22 was there a majority that supported keeping troops until the situation stabilizes 57 in Kenya 20 United States editGrowing opposition to the war edit While support for the war continues to be strongest in the U S and Israel 9 21 recent polls have also shown growing opposition in the U S including majority opposition 22 A Washington Post ABC poll conducted July 15 18 2009 found that just half of Americans 51 think the war is worth fighting while nearly half 45 think the war is not worth fighting a statistical tie within the poll s 3 point margin of error 23 24 25 The American public is also closely divided on whether the United States is making significant progress toward winning the war with 46 thinking so and 42 not 24 An Associated Press GfK poll conducted July 16 20 2009 found that the majority 53 of Americans oppose the war while 44 support it It furthermore found that the plurality of Americans 34 strongly opposed the war while 20 strongly favored it Another 19 somewhat opposed the war 20 somewhat favored it and 3 did not know or declined to answer 26 27 28 A CNN Opinion Research poll conducted July 31 August 3 2009 also found that most Americans now oppose the war In a new low in American public support for the war 54 of Americans said they opposed the war while 41 supported it 29 30 Following the August 20 2009 election in Afghanistan that was characterized by widespread lack of security and massive fraud and capping off the two deadliest months for U S troops in the 8 year war the CNN Opinion Research poll conducted August 28 31 2009 registered the highest level of opposition to the war the poll has yet seen A majority 57 of Americans now oppose the war in Afghanistan while 42 still support it 31 32 33 34 35 A Washington Post ABC News poll conducted September 10 12 2009 reported that Americans are broadly skeptical of President Obama s contention that the war is necessary for the war against terrorism to be a success and few see an increase in troops as the right thing to do The poll found that the plurality 42 of Americans now want a reduction of the number of U S troops in Afghanistan and that 26 of Americans think more troops should be sent to Afghanistan 36 The CNN Opinion Research poll conducted September 11 13 2009 found that American opposition to the war reached a new all time high while American support for the war fell to a new all time low The majority 58 of Americans now oppose the war while 39 support it 37 Keating Holland CNN s polling director observed that The Afghan war is almost as unpopular as the Iraq war has been for the past four years He noted that support for the war in Iraq had first dropped to 39 percent in June 2005 then generally remained in the low to mid 30s since 37 The Associated Press GfK poll conducted October 1 5 2009 found the majority 57 of Americans oppose the war up 4 from July while 40 favor the war down 4 from July 38 The CNN Opinion Research poll conducted October 30 November 1 2009 found that the majority 58 of Americans oppose the war while 40 support it The majority 56 of Americans also oppose sending more U S troops while 42 favor doing so 39 The Pew Research poll conducted October 28 November 8 2009 found that the majority 59 of Americans oppose sending more U S troops The plurality 40 of Americans want the number of U S troops to be reduced and 19 want the number of troops to remain unchanged 32 support sending more U S troops 40 The Gallup poll conducted November 5 8 2009 found that the majority 51 of Americans oppose sending more U S troops The plurality 44 of Americans want the number of U S troops to be reduced and 7 want the number to be kept unchanged 41 42 The Associated Press GfK poll conducted November 5 9 2009 again found that the majority 57 of Americans oppose the war while 39 favor it 43 44 The ABC News Washington Post poll conducted November 12 15 2009 found that the majority 52 of Americans now say the war is not worth fighting a new high in opposition for the poll question first asked in 2007 and that 44 say it is worth fighting a new low in support The majority 76 of Americans do not feel that withdrawing would increase the risk of terrorism in the U S while 23 feel that it would 45 46 47 48 The CNN Opinion Research poll conducted December 16 20 2009 found that the majority 55 of Americans oppose the war while 43 support it 49 The AP GfK poll conducted January 12 17 2010 found that the majority 54 of Americans oppose the war while 43 support it The plurality of Americans 32 strongly oppose the war while 18 strongly favor it The majority 55 of Americans oppose sending more U S troops while 41 would support doing so The plurality 34 of Americans strongly oppose sending more troops while 17 strongly favor doing so 50 The ABC News Washington Post poll conducted April 22 25 2010 showed that the majority 52 of Americans think the war has not been worth fighting and the plurality 38 of Americans strongly think that it has not been worth fighting 45 of Americans think that the war being carried out has been worth fighting with 26 of Americans that feel that way strongly 51 The CNN Opinion Research poll conducted May 21 23 2010 found that the majority 56 of Americans oppose their country s war while 42 support it 52 The ABC News Washington Post poll conducted June 3 6 2010 showed that the majority 53 of Americans think the war has not been worth fighting and the plurality 41 of Americans strongly think that it has not been worth fighting 44 of Americans think that the war being carried out has been worth fighting with 26 of Americans that feel that way strongly 53 The ABC News Washington Post poll conducted July 7 11 2010 found that 76 of Americans want to start withdrawing troops by next summer or sooner 45 call Obama s plan to start withdrawing troops by next summer about right and an additional 31 call for the withdrawal to start even sooner 18 think the withdrawal should start later The majority 53 of Americans think the war has not been worth fighting with the plurality 38 of Americans strongly feeling so The poll reported that support for the war hit a new low in the United States 43 of Americans think the war has been worth fighting down sharply since the end of the previous year and the lowest since the question was asked in February 2007 54 55 The CBS News poll conducted July 9 12 2010 found that the majority 58 of Americans want their troops withdrawn from the war within the next one or two years and 35 were willing to have U S troops stay longer than two years from now One third 33 of Americans think large numbers of U S troops should be withdrawn in less than a year another 23 think that should be done within one or two years and 2 want an immediate withdrawal 26 of Americans think U S troops should remain for as long as it takes 7 think they should stay another two to five years and 2 think they should stay for another five to ten years 54 56 The CNN Opinion Research poll conducted August 6 10 2010 showed the American public s opposition to the war at an all time high The majority 62 of Americans oppose the war the highest level since the poll question was asked in 2006 while 37 favored the war an all time low 57 The CNN Opinion Research poll conducted December 17 19 2010 again showed the American public s opposition to the war reaching a new all time high The majority 63 of Americans oppose the war the highest level reached since the poll question was asked in 2006 while 35 favored the war again a new all time low 58 Opposition by the American public to the war also reached an all time high in polling by ABC News and the Washington Post in December 2010 A record 60 majority of Americans say the war has not been worth fighting while 34 say it has a new record low of support of the war The unpopularity of the war has now reached the levels seen for the war in Iraq 81 of Americans want the withdrawal of American military forces to begin within a few months either in the summer of 2011 as pledged by President Obama or even sooner than that 59 60 In January 2011 the USA Today Gallup poll of January 14 16 reported that the majority 72 of Americans want the withdrawal of U S troops from Afghanistan to be accelerated including majorities in the three political groups while 25 disagree Of note the plurality of Americans 41 strongly favor speeding up the withdrawal while 6 strongly oppose doing so 61 62 63 In March 2011 the Washington Post ABC News poll of March 10 13 reported that the majority 64 of Americans say that the war is no longer worth fighting the highest level of American opposition to the war measured by the poll while 31 thought it was the lowest level of support to date Nearly three quarters of Americans 73 want President Obama to withdraw a substantial number of troops this summer while 21 do not Nearly half of Americans the plurality 49 strongly think the war is not worth fighting while 17 strongly think it is 64 65 Following the killing of Osama bin Laden the USA Today Gallup poll of May 5 8 2011 reported that the majority 59 of Americans think the U S has finished its work and its troops should be brought home 36 disagreed and not a single major demographic group had a majority that favored keeping U S military forces in Afghanistan 66 67 68 The Associated Press GfK poll conducted May 5 9 2011 reported that the majority 59 of Americans oppose the war with the plurality 32 of Americans strongly opposed to it 37 of Americans favored the war the lowest level of support to date The majority 80 of Americans approve of President Barack Obama s decision to end all U S combat operations by 2014 and to begin the withdrawal of troops in July with the plurality 52 strongly approving the ending of combat operations 15 disapproved with 8 strongly disapproving The majority 83 of Americans think the announced pace of withdrawal is either about right or too slow while 15 think it is too fast 69 The CBS News New York Times poll of June 24 28 2011 reported that the majority 58 of Americans oppose the U S military involvement in Afghanistan the highest level of opposition yet recorded by the poll while 35 thought the U S was doing the right thing in fighting its war 79 of Americans approve of the announced withdrawal of all U S troops by the end of 2014 with 59 of Americans wanting even more than one third of all U S troops withdrawn within the next year by the end of summer 2012 Altogether 85 of Americans including the 75 of Republicans want at least one third of U S troops withdrawn within the next year by the end of summer 2012 70 71 In January 2013 the Media and Public Opinion Research Group reported that most Americans want the U S to pull out of Afghanistan 37 think the U S should withdraw troops gradually while 30 2 say the U S should withdraw immediately 72 In December 2013 a CNN ORC International poll revealed that 17 supported the Afghanistan war 73 The Pew Research Center poll released at the 10th anniversary of the U S invasion reported that the majority 52 of Americans think that considering the costs versus the benefits to the United States the war has not been worth fighting while 41 think it has 74 Do you favor or oppose the U S war in Afghanistan Date Favor Oppose Unsure Jun 3 7 2011 36 62 2 May 2 2011 42 52 5 Jan 21 23 2011 40 58 1 Dec 17 19 2010 35 63 5 Oct 5 7 2010 37 58 5 Sep 21 23 2010 39 58 3 Sep 1 2 2010 41 57 2 Aug 6 10 2010 37 62 1 May 21 23 2010 42 56 2 Mar 19 21 2010 48 49 3 Jan 22 24 2010 47 52 1 Dec 16 20 2009 43 55 3 Dec 2 3 2009 46 51 2 Nov 13 15 2009 45 52 3 Oct 30 Nov 1 2009 40 58 2 Oct 16 18 2009 41 57 2 Sep 11 13 2009 39 58 3 Aug 28 31 2009 42 57 2 Jul 31 Aug 3 2009 41 54 5 May 14 17 2009 50 48 3 Apr 3 5 2009 53 46 1 Feb 18 19 2009 47 51 2 Dec 1 2 2008 52 46 2 Jul 27 29 2008 46 52 2 Jan 19 21 2007 44 52 4 Sep 22 24 2006 50 48 2 Pluralities over the 3 margin of error indicated in bold Lowest levels indicated in italics Source CNN Opinion Research Corporation 58 75 76 Do you favor or oppose the war in Afghanistan Date Favor Oppose Don t know Refused May 5 9 2011 37 59 3 Sep 8 13 2010 37 62 3 Aug 11 16 2010 38 58 3 Mar 3 8 2010 46 50 3 Jan 12 17 2010 43 54 3 Dec 10 14 2009 39 57 4 Nov 5 9 2009 39 57 4 Oct 1 5 2009 40 57 3 Jul 16 20 2009 44 53 4 Pluralities over the 3 margin of error indicated in bold Lowest levels indicated in italics Source AP GfK 50 69 75 Do you think the U S doing the right thing fighting the war in Afghanistan now or should the U S not be involved in Afghanistan now Date Right thing Should not be involved Unsure September 28 October 2 2011 34 57 9 June 24 28 2011 35 58 7 June 3 7 2011 43 51 6 March 18 21 2011 39 53 8 February 11 14 2011 37 54 9 September 10 14 2010 38 54 8 August 20 24 2010 43 48 9 December 4 8 2009 49 39 11 October 5 8 2009 51 39 10 September 19 23 2009 47 42 11 Pluralities over the 3 margin of error indicated in bold Lowest levels indicated in italics Source CBS News 75 77 Dichotomy between Republicans and Democrats edit A dichotomy between Republicans and Democrats exists as well The Associated Press GfK poll conducted July 16 20 2009 found 66 of Republicans favoring the war while 26 of Democrats do 26 27 28 78 The CNN Opinion Research poll conducted July 31 August 3 2009 found that nearly two thirds of Republicans support the war while three quarters of Democrats oppose the war CNN polling director Keating Holland said 29 30 Afghanistan is almost certainly the Obama policy that Republicans like the most An ABC News Washington Post poll conducted August 13 17 2009 found that 78 of conservative Republicans think the war is worth fighting while 22 of liberal Democrats do 65 of conservative Republicans also think that the U S is winning the war 64 of liberal Democrats want the number of U S troopsto be reduced while 22 of conservative Republicans do 79 A McClatchy Ipsos poll conducted August 27 31 2009 reported that 66 of Democrats and 67 of independents oppose sending more U S troops In one group was there a majority in favor of sending more troops with 52 of Republicans favoring a further escalation 80 The CNN Opinion Research poll conducted August 28 31 2009 again showed that most of the support for the war is from Republicans Seven in ten Republicans support the war while nearly three quarters of Democrats oppose the war as do 57 of independents 31 34 The Washington Post ABC News poll conducted September 10 12 2009 found that the majority 56 of Democrats want a reduction of the number of U S troops while the plurality 39 of Republicans want more troops to be sent to the war 17 of Democrats support sending more troops The poll also reported that the majority 59 of Democrats think the war on terrorism can be a success without winning while the majority 66 of Republicans think the war must be won to win the war on terrorism 36 81 The CNN Opinion Research poll conducted September 11 13 2009 found that 23 of Democrats and 39 independents support the war while a majority 62 of Republicans support the war The majority 75 of Democrats oppose the war 37 82 The USA Today Gallup poll conducted September 22 23 2009 found that the majority 62 of Democrats oppose sending more U S troops while the majority 63 of Republicans favor sending more U S troops The majority 53 of Democrats want to begin a withdrawal of U S troops while 24 of Republicans want a withdrawal to begin 30 of Democrats support sending more U S troops Nearly half 49 of independents oppose sending more U S troops and the plurality 43 of independents also want to begin to withdraw U S troops from Afghanistan 83 The Pew Research Center poll conducted September 10 15 2009 found that 56 of Democrats want to remove NATO troops as soon as possible while in contrast 71 of Republicans favor keeping them By nearly two to one 55 to 29 Republicans also thought the U S is making progress rather than losing ground in defeating the Taliban militarily Among Democrats and independents 46 and 49 respectively said the U S is losing ground in defeating the Taliban militarily 84 85 86 The Associated Press GfK poll conducted October 1 5 2009 found that the majority 57 of Democrats oppose sending more troops while on the other hand the majority 69 of Republicans favor sending more troops there 87 The Clarus Research poll conducted October 1 4 2009 found that 17 of Democrats supported sending more troops The majority 61 of Democrats want to decrease U S troop numbers in Afghanistan and begin to get out The majority 54 of Republicans favor sending more U S troops Ron Faucheux president of Clarus Research Group said 88 Should President Obama decide to send more troops to Afghanistan he will do it in the face of strong opposition from voters in his own party In a USA Today Gallup poll conducted October 6 2009 59 of Democrats and 50 of independents opposed sending more troops while 73 of Republicans favored sending more troops Half 50 of Democrats wanted President Obama to begin to withdraw U S troops while 18 of Republicans wanted this 89 In the CBS News poll conducted October 5 8 2009 the majority 52 of Democrats wanted to decrease the number of U S troops while the majority 57 of Republicans wanted to increase the number of U S troops 27 of Democrats support sending more troops The majority 76 of Republicans think the U S is doing the right thing by fighting the war while on the other hand the plurality 49 of Democrats think the U S should not be involved 90 In the ABC News Washington Post poll conducted October 15 18 2009 the majority 60 of Democrats opposed sending more U S troops while the majority 69 of Republicans favored sending more troops 36 of Democrats felt the war was worth fighting while 71 of Republicans did 91 92 93 In the Pew Research poll conducted October 28 November 8 2009 the majority 70 of Democrats oppose sending more U S troops while 48 of Republicans favor sending more troops there The plurality 50 of Democrats want the number of U S troops in Afghanistan to be reduced while 25 of Republicans did as well 40 In the Gallup poll conducted November 5 8 2009 the majority 66 of Democrats oppose sending more U S troops while 63 of Republicans want to send more troops The majority 60 of Democrats want President Obama to in fact begin reducing U S troop levels 26 of Republicans wanted a reduction in troops to begin Gallup noted 41 42 In the ABC News Washington Post poll conducted November 12 15 2009 the political divide in the U S over the war continued the majority 66 of Democrats say the war is not worth fighting with nearly half of Democrats 48 feeling strongly that the war is not worth fighting while on the other hand the majority 60 of Republicans say that it is worth fighting with 43 of Republicans feeling strongly that it is 94 The CNN Opinion Research poll conducted May 21 23 2010 noted that the war remained popular with Republicans with a majority two thirds of them favoring continuation of the war 27 of Democrats supported the war and among independents support has fallen to 40 52 The Pew Global Attitudes survey released in June 2010 also noted the significant partisan difference finding that nearly two thirds a 65 majority of Republicans wanted to continue to keep the military forces in Afghanistan indefinitely while 36 of Democrats supported this 20 The ABC News Washington Post poll conducted June 3 6 2010 similarly reported that the majority 62 of Republicans think the almost nine year war imposed on that country has been worth its costs to the U S while the majority two thirds 66 of Democrats and 53 of independents think it has not been worth fighting In fact the majority 54 of Democratic leaning Americans strongly think that the war has not been worth fighting 53 The CBS News poll conducted July 9 12 2010 also reported the strong partisan divide over the war The 73 majority of Democrats want a timetable set for withdrawal while the majority 66 of Republicans do not The nearly three quarters majority 74 of Democrats want most U S troops to be withdrawn within a year or two while a majority 52 of Republicans want them to stay longer than another two years 54 56 The CNN Opinion Research poll conducted October 5 7 2010 reported that 68 of Democrats oppose the war while on the other hand the majority 51 of Republicans favor the war the only group of respondents to do so 28 of Democrats support the war Among Independents the majority 61 oppose the war while 35 support it 95 The ABC News Washington Post poll conducted December 9 12 2010 continued to find that Republicans remained the most supportive of warfare in Afghanistan albeit down 35 from the peak in 2007 50 of Republicans still say the war has been worth fighting in that country Among Democrats 36 think the war has been worth fighting 59 60 In the CNN Opinion Research poll conducted December 17 19 2010 the three quarters majority of Democratic voters oppose the war as do more than six in ten independent voters while on the other hand 52 of Republicans and 52 of Tea Party supporters supported continuation of the war 58 The Washington Post ABC News poll conducted March 10 13 2011 reported that 19 of Democratic voters think the war is worth fighting compared to half of Republican supporters the chief constituency supporting the war The majority two thirds of independent voters think the war is not worth fighting while about one in four think it is 80 of independent voters want Barack Obama to withdraw a substantial number of troops from Afghanistan this summer 64 65 In the USA Today Gallup poll conducted May 5 8 2011 a week following the killing of Osama bin Laden Democratic and independent voters by a 2 to 1 margin believe the U S has finished its work and should now bring its troops home The majority two thirds of Democratic voters 66 think that U S troops should now be brought home as do the majority 62 of independent voters Among Republican voters an equal number 47 think that the American troops should be brought home and 47 do not Not a single major demographic group had a majority that favored keeping U S military forces in Afghanistan 66 67 68 In the Gallup poll conducted June 25 26 2011 the majority of Democratic and independent voters favor the announced withdrawal of all U S troops by 2014 87 of Democratic voters and 74 of independent voters favor the planned withdrawal with 11 and 21 opposed 50 of Republican voters also favor the announced withdrawal while 43 opposed it In the same poll 54 of Republicans thought a timetable should not be set 96 In the CBS News New York Times poll conducted June 24 28 2011 the majority 60 of Democratic voters and 63 of independent voters oppose their country s military involvement while 32 and 28 respectively support it 90 of Democratic voters and 79 of independent voters approved of the plan to withdraw all U S troops by the end of 2014 94 of Democratic voters and 84 of independent voters want at least one third of U S troops withdrawn within a year by the end of summer 2012 On the other hand Republican voters were split with 48 opposed to the U S military involvement and 47 supporting it 67 of Republican voters approve of President Obama s plan to withdraw all U S troops by the end of 2014 and 75 want at least one third of the troops withdrawn within a year by the end of summer 2012 70 71 In the Pew Research Center poll released at the 10th anniversary of the U S invasion of Afghanistan and the longest period of sustained warfare in its history the majority 59 of Democratic voters and the majority 58 of independent voters think the war has not been worth fighting while 34 and 36 respectively think it has On the other hand the majority 56 of Republicans think the decade long war has been worth fighting while 37 think it has not 74 Increasing opposition to the war among conservatives edit In a January 2011 poll of conservatives 66 of self identified conservative voters and Tea Party supporters call for either a reduction of U S troop levels the 39 plurality or a complete withdrawal as soon as possible 27 24 think that the current levels of troops should be maintained The majority 71 of conservative voters including over two thirds of Tea Party supporters are worried that the war s cost to American taxpayers 120 billion spent on the war in 2010 will make it more difficult to reduce the U S deficit next year and balance the U S federal budget in the next decade The poll for the Afghanistan Study Group was conducted January 4 10 2011 97 98 A USA Today Gallup poll conducted January 14 16 2011 also reported that behind an 86 of Democrats and 72 of independents there was now also 61 of self identified conservatives calling for an accelerated withdrawal of U S troops 61 62 63 In the Gallup poll conducted June 25 26 2011 50 of Republican voters generally favor the announced withdrawal of all U S troops from Afghanistan by 2014 while 43 opposed it 96 In the CBS News New York Times poll conducted June 24 28 2011 67 of Republican voters approve of the plan to withdraw all U S troops by the end of summer 2012 and 75 of Republican voters want at least one third of U S troops withdrawn by the end of summer 2012 the plurality 41 of Republican voters want more than one third of U S troops withdrawn in this timeframe 34 want about a third while 18 thought it should be less than one third 70 71 Opinions of the public in NATO allies of the U S editSee also Opposition to the War in Afghanistan 2001 2021 2008 edit In the Pew Global Attitudes survey conducted in 2008 the majority of respondents in five of the six NATO partners expressed a desire for an early troop withdrawal and not one of the six showed majority support for maintaining troops in Afghanistan In 2009 not one of the seven NATO allies in the Pew Global Attitudes survey had majority support for continuing to keep military forces there but all seven of the NATO allies in the survey had majority or strong plurality opposition to sending more troops 4 9 11 2009 edit The June 2009 Transatlantic Trends survey of 13 NATO countries also from an American policy think tank the German Marshall Fund of the United States further underlined the publics opposition to the war in NATO countries involved with the U S in Afghanistan 99 100 The majorities of the populations of all 12 of the NATO nations surveyed in Europe and Turkey want their military forces in Afghanistan to be reduced or completely withdrawn United Kingdom 60 France 51 Germany 57 Italy 55 Netherlands 50 Poland 68 Portugal 52 Spain 54 Slovakia 61 Bulgaria 72 Romania 61 Turkey 50 99 100 The majority 55 of West Europeans and the majority 69 of East Europeans want to reduce or remove their troops from Afghanistan with complete troop removal called for by 51 of Poles 50 of Bulgarians 48 of Romanians 41 of Britons and 41 of Germans 99 Despite pressure from the Obama administration to increase their troop levels in Afghanistan the public is strongly opposed in all 12 of the NATO ally countries surveyed 77 of people in the 12 NATO countries surveyed in the Europe Union and Turkey oppose sending more troops to Afghanistan Fewer than 1 in 5 people 19 in the 12 NATO countries supported sending more troops 99 Level of support for sending more troops to Afghanistan NATO member Support 2009 Support 2010 Support 2011 United States 30 25 6 United Kingdom 11 7 3 France 4 4 2 Germany 7 7 4 Italy 6 4 2 Netherlands 4 4 5 Poland 5 2 2 Portugal 4 2 3 Spain 7 6 3 Slovakia 2 3 2 Bulgaria 2 2 1 Romania 5 6 2 Turkey 14 16 12 Source German Marshall Fund of the United States Transatlantic Trends June 2009 2010 and 2011 surveys 100 101 The poll of the NATO countries conducted in June 2009 about 2 months before the Afghan election also reported that 56 of Americans were optimistic about stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan whereas the majority 62 of people in the 12 NATO countries in Europe and Turkey were not 99 In the 2009 Pew Global Attitudes Project survey none of the seven NATO allies surveyed had majority support for keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan Despite repeated American calls for their NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan there was majority or plurality opposition to such action in all seven of the NATO ally countries surveyed Germany 63 disapprove France 62 Poland 57 Canada 55 Britain 51 Spain 50 and Turkey 49 11 2010 edit In 2010 none of the six NATO allies in the Pew Global Attitudes survey had majority support for keeping troops in Afghanistan The survey found instead that the majorities and pluralities of the public in 5 out of 6 NATO member countries want the NATO military forces to be removed from Afghanistan as soon as possible A 67 majority in Turkey 58 majority in Germany 52 majority in France 49 plurality in Spain 44 plurality in Poland and 45 in the United Kingdom all want the NATO military forces to be removed from Afghanistan as soon as possible 20 The Transatlantic Trends June 2010 study by the German Marshall Fund of the United States found that pluralities all of the 12 NATO ally countries surveyed and majorities in 11 out of 12 of them want to withdraw all or some of their troops from Afghanistan 101 102 For the 12 European NATO countries surveyed as a whole 70 think their country should begin to withdraw troops immediately 36 or in 2011 if conditions permit 36 23 think their troops should stay as long as it takes to stabilize Afghanistan The majority 62 of the European NATO populations surveyed want a complete withdrawal of all of their troops the 43 plurality or a reduction of troops 19 28 would keep the troop numbers at their current levels 6 would agree to send more troops to Afghanistan 101 102 2011 edit The Transatlantic Trends June 2011 study by the German Marshall Fund of the United States found that majorities in the United States 66 and in all 11 European NATO member countries surveyed the United Kingdom 69 Germany 70 France 64 Italy 65 Poland 73 Portugal 58 Spain 57 Netherlands 55 Romania 67 Bulgaria 63 and Slovakia 64 want all or some troops withdrawn from Afghanistan For all 11 European NATO countries taken as a whole the majority 66 of Europeans in the NATO countries surveyed want all or some of their troops withdrawn from Afghanistan the plurality 44 want all of their troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan another 22 want some of their troops to be withdrawn to reduce the number there Less than one in three 29 support maintaining the current number of troops in Afghanistan and 3 would support sending yet more troops 103 In December 2010 the U S Secretary of Defense Robert Gates acknowledged the opposition of the public in almost all countries Public opinion would be in terms of majority against their participation in the war 3 2014 edit Marek Obrtel former Lieutenant Colonel in Field Hospital with Czech Republic army returned his medals which he received during his posting in Afghanistan War for NATO operations He criticized the War on Terror as describing the mission as deeply ashamed that I served a criminal organization such as NATO led by the USA and its perverse interests around the world 104 105 106 See also edit2009 Afghan presidential election Bagram torture and prisoner abuse British forces casualties in Afghanistan Canadian Afghan detainee abuse scandal Canadian Forces casualties in Afghanistan Afghanistan conflict 1978 present Civilian casualties in the war in Afghanistan 2001 2021 Coalition casualties in Afghanistan Criticism of the War on Terrorism Foreign hostages in Afghanistan German Armed Forces casualties in Afghanistan Opposition to the War in Afghanistan 2001 2021 Protests against the invasion of Afghanistan War in Afghanistan 2001 2021 References edit a b c d e f 47 Nation Pew Global Attitudes Survey p 24 p 116 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2010 01 12 Retrieved 2008 11 24 a b Global Unease With Major World Powers Pew Research Center s Global Attitudes Project 27 June 2007 Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b Afghanistan war not worth it say most Americans The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b c d e Global Economic Gloom China and India Notable Exceptions Pew Research Center s Global Attitudes Project 12 June 2008 Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b BBC NEWS UK Britons call for troop withdrawal BBC News 13 November 2008 Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b Australians lose faith in Afghan war effort Archived from the original on October 3 2008 a b Burke Jason 11 July 2009 This page has been removed News The Guardian the Guardian London Retrieved 6 February 2015 Poll finds 51 oppose role in Afghanistan The Age Melbourne Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b c d e f g h 25 Nation Pew Global Attitudes Survey 2009 p 22 PDF p 26 Opposition to War in Afghanistan PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2009 12 11 Retrieved 2009 08 04 a b 25 Nation Pew Global Attitudes Survey 2009 p 13 PDF p 17 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2009 12 11 Retrieved 2009 08 04 a b c d 25 Nation Pew Global Attitudes Survey 2009 p 39 PDF p 43 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2009 12 11 Retrieved 2009 08 04 Obama s Unlikely Ally Iran Signs On To Afghan Plan TIME com 31 March 2009 Archived from the original on April 4 2009 Retrieved 6 February 2015 Afghan war exposes flaws in assumption of Nato unity Archived July 6 2011 at the Wayback Machine Croft Adrian 20 January 2009 Europe opposes more troops for Afghanistan poll Reuters Retrieved 6 February 2015 America and the War on Terror AEI Public Opinion Study Archived from the original on July 14 2014 Retrieved 2007 09 27 Published July 24 2008 World Opinion Opposes the Attack on Afghanistan Strange Victory A critical appraisal of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Afghanistan war Gallup Inc 16 July 2009 Americans Upbeat on Progress in Iraq Afghanistan Retrieved 6 February 2015 Britain Canada Differ from U S on Afghan War Archived July 24 2009 at the Wayback Machine a b c Obama More Popular Abroad Than At Home Global Image of U S Continues to Benefit Pew Research Center s Global Attitudes Project 17 June 2010 Retrieved 6 February 2015 Global Citizens More Cautious About Afghan War Archived April 28 2010 at the Wayback Machine We can t fight our way out of Afghanistan dead link ABC News Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ABC News Washington Post Poll ABC News ABC News Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b U S Deaths Hit A Record High In Afghanistan The Washington Post 22 July 2009 Retrieved 6 February 2015 Washington Post ABC News washingtonpost com The Washington Post Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b Majority in US oppose both wars dead link a b Local News FresnoBee com Retrieved 6 February 2015 dead link a b Associated Press GfK poll July 16 20 2009 Archived December 11 2009 at the Wayback Machine a b Most Americans oppose Afghanistan war poll Archived from the original on 2009 08 10 Retrieved 2009 08 11 a b Support for Afghan war drops CNN poll finds 6 August 2009 Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b CNN Opinion Research poll August 28 31 2009 The war in Afghanistan Losing Afghanistan The Economist The Economist 22 August 2009 Retrieved 6 February 2015 Login Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b CNN Poll Afghanistan War opposition at all time high 1 September 2009 Archived from the original on 29 September 2022 Retrieved 6 February 2015 August Tied for Deadliest Month in Afghanistan dead link a b A Skeptical View of Afghanistan The Washington Post 16 September 2009 Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b c Poll Support for Afghan war at all time low CNN 15 September 2009 Retrieved 6 February 2015 AP GfK poll conducted October 1 5 2009 Archived July 7 2011 at the Wayback Machine Most Americans oppose Afghanistan troop boost poll Archived January 31 2013 at the Wayback Machine a b A Year Out Widespread Anti Incumbent Sentiment Pew Research Center for the People and the Press 11 November 2009 Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b ALEXANDER BURNS Poll Majority opposes new troops Politico Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b Gallup Inc 12 November 2009 Americans Split on Afghanistan Troop Increase vs Decrease Retrieved 6 February 2015 Associated Press GfK poll conducted November 5 9 2009 Archived November 22 2009 at the Wayback Machine Americans grow more pessimistic about direction of country poll finds cleveland com 2009 11 11 Retrieved 6 February 2015 Majority in US see Afghan war not worth cost poll Archived November 25 2009 at the Wayback Machine ABC News Washington Post poll conducted November 12 15 2009 Poll Support For Afghan War Slipping ABC News Retrieved 6 February 2015 Top of the Ticket Los Angeles Times 17 November 2009 Retrieved 6 February 2015 CNN Opinion Research poll conducted January 22 24 2010 a b AP GfK poll conducted January 12 17 2010 Behind the Numbers On Afghanistan a negative shift The Washington Post Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b Harvey Sarah May 31 2010 Kiwis favour bringing SAS home from Afghanistan The Dominion Post Retrieved October 4 2011 a b Behind the Numbers Public remains unfriendly on Afghanistan The Washington Post Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b c Poll Most Want Afghanistan Withdrawal Timeline CBS News 13 July 2010 Retrieved 6 February 2015 Exclusive Afghan War Approval Plummets ABC News Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b CBS News Poll Pessimism about Economy Low Marks for President Obama July 9 12 2010 Retrieved 6 February 2015 Poll U S opposition to Afghan war at all time high CNN 17 August 2010 Archived from the original on 7 February 2015 Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b c CNN Opinion Research poll was conducted December 17 19 2010 a b ABC News ABC News Washington Post Poll Exclusive Afghanistan War Support Drops Obama s Handling Gets Mixed Reviews ABC News ABC News Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b ABC News Washington Post Poll Assessment of Afghanistan War Sours Record Six in 10 Say it s Not Worth Fighting PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2012 10 12 Retrieved 2010 12 28 a b Poll 72 Percent Of Americans Want Faster Withdrawal From Afghanistan The Huffington Post 8 February 2011 Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b Gallup Inc 2 February 2011 In U S Alternative Energy Bill Does Best Among Eight Proposals Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b USA Today Gallup poll January 2011 PDF permanent dead link a b Poll Nearly two thirds of Americans say Afghan war isn t worth fighting The Washington Post Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b Washington Post ABC News Poll The Washington Post Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b Poll With bin Laden dead is it time to end war The USA Today Gallup poll was conducted May 5 8 2011 a b Shrouded in secrecy The elite US unit behind bin Laden s killing World DW DE 05 05 2011 DW DE Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b Gallup Inc 11 May 2011 Americans More Positive on Afghanistan After Bin Laden Death Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b AP GfK Poll May 5th May 9th Full Topline Archived July 22 2011 at the Wayback Machine a b c Poll Four in 5 approve of Obama s plan for Afghanistan drawdown CBS News 29 June 2011 Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b c CBS News NYT Poll 2011 06 29 The New York Times CBS poll was conducted June 24 28 2011 Most Americans Want to Leave Afghanistan Archived from the original on May 15 2013 Retrieved April 22 2013 Poll The most unpopular U S war a b War and Sacrifice in the Post 9 11 Era p 112 7 Archived 2017 10 31 at the Wayback Machine The Pew Research Center poll was conducted July 28 September 15 2011 a b c Afghanistan Retrieved 6 February 2015 CNN Opinion Research Poll January 21 23 Afghanistan The War in Afghanistan at the Ten Year Mark Hayden Tom 11 May 2011 Obama Nears Key Decisions on Afghan Strategy Retrieved 6 February 2015 a href Template Cite magazine html title Template Cite magazine cite magazine a Cite magazine requires magazine help ABC News Washington Post poll August 13 17 2009 Poll Most say Afghanistan war not worth fighting dead link Behind the Numbers Anti War Stirrings Greet Call For More Troops The Washington Post Retrieved 6 February 2015 Amy Goodman U S must not become the evil it deplores Dilanian Ken 25 September 2009 Poll 50 oppose U S surge in Afghanistan USATODAY com USA Today Retrieved 6 February 2015 Jodie Allen Foreign and Domestic Polls Show Declining Support for U S Engagement Abroad U S News amp World Report Retrieved 6 February 2015 Public Support for Afghan Mission Slips Pew Research Center for the People and the Press 22 September 2009 Retrieved 6 February 2015 Pew Research Center September 10 15 2009 poll topline Obama ponders Afghanistan troop boost The Age Melbourne Retrieved 6 February 2015 Clarus Research Group 5 October 2009 Democrats Strongly Oppose Sending More Troops to Afghanistan Most Voters Wary of War s Outcome Retrieved 6 February 2015 Gallup Inc 8 October 2009 Americans Divided on Sending More Troops to Afghanistan Retrieved 6 February 2015 CBS News poll conducted October 5 8 2009 ABC News poll conducted October 15 18 2009 ABC News Page 2 Afghanistan ABC News Washington Post Poll ABC News ABC News Archived from the original on 26 July 2021 Retrieved 6 February 2015 Americans divided on Afghan troop increase dead link Balz Dan Sunday Take Divided public complicates Afghanistan decision The Washington Post Retrieved 6 February 2015 CNN Opinion Research poll October 5 7 2010 a b Gallup Inc 29 June 2011 Americans Broadly Favor Obama s Afghanistan Pullout Plan Retrieved 6 February 2015 Tea Party eyes the cost of war in Afghanistan IVN us Retrieved 6 February 2015 Afghanistan Study Group Survey Results of Conservatives Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b c d e German Marshall Fund of the United States PDF Archived from the original PDF on October 9 2009 Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b c German Marshall Fund of the United States PDF Archived from the original PDF on September 20 2009 Retrieved 6 February 2015 a b c German Marshall Fund of the United States PDF Retrieved 6 February 2015 dead link a b Only Americans remain upbeat about Afghanistan poll Archived from the original on 24 September 2012 Retrieved 6 February 2015 German Marshall Fund of the United States Transatlantic Trends 2011 Archived June 4 2012 at the Wayback Machine Marek Obrtel Hluboce se stydim za zlocineckou organizaci jakou je NATO Vracim vyznamenani Parlamentni listy No 22 December 2014 Parlamentni listy OUR MEDIA a s 22 December 2014 Retrieved 9 January 2015 Marek Obrtel vratil vyznamenani jelikoz se stydi za sve pusobeni v silach NATO Stalo se No 26 December 2014 Stalo se Stalo se 26 December 2014 Archived from the original on 9 January 2015 Retrieved 9 January 2015 stas 25 December 2014 Chaa je to borec ze chaa Pplk v z MUDr Marek Obrtel Hluboce se stydim za zlocineckou organizaci jakou je NATO Vracim vyznamenani Akcie ERSTE BANK Kurzy cz No 25 December 2014 Kurzy cz Retrieved 9 January 2015 External links editRethink Afghanistan a ground breaking documentary focusing on key issues surrounding the war available for viewing online in 6 parts Part 1 Troops Part 2 Pakistan Part 3 Cost of the War Part 4 Civilian Casualties Part 5 Women Part 6 Security Afghanistan by the Numbers Measuring a War Gone to Hell by Tom Engelhardt September 8 2009 thenation com Archived from the original on December 8 2012 Retrieved September 30 2009 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link Anand Gopal 2008 12 08 Who Are the Taliban The Afghan War Deciphered Alternet Archived from the original on 2011 06 04 The Afghan Victim Memorial Project Casualties in Afghanistan amp Iraq Human Rights First Getting to Ground Truth Investigating U S Abuses in the War on Terror 2004 Public opinion and the war in Afghanistan New Low for Afghanistan War 47 Percent of Military Families Want Troops Brought Home November 24 2010 The Reality Page Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title International public opinion on the war in Afghanistan amp oldid 1218968763, wikipedia, wiki, book, 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