PEW Survey Indicates US Presence in Iraq Greatest Threat to World Peace

By Cihan News Agency
Published: Wednesday, June 14, 2006
zaman.com

The US presence in Iraq is a greater threat to world peace than Iran's nuclear ambitions, results of a new international opinion poll reveals.

America's global image has again slipped with support for the so-called 'war on terror' declining even among US. allies, according a PEW poll carried out in 14 countries across the world including Turkey.

The survey shows that the Iraq war continues to exact a toll on America's overall image and on support for the struggle against terrorism. Majorities in 10 of 14 foreign countries surveyed say that the war in Iraq has made the world a more dangerous place.

In Great Britain, America's most important ally in Iraq, 60% say the war has made the world more dangerous, while just half that number (30%) feel it has made the world safer. "More Britons believe that the US military presence in Iraq represents a great danger to stability in the Middle East and world peace than say that about the current government in Iran (by 41%-34%)," the PEW Survey found.

In Spain, 56% say the US military presence in Iraq is a great danger to the stability of the Middle East and world peace; just 38% regard the current government in Iran in the same way.

Turks are increasingly turning away from the war on terror, according to the Pew Global Attitudes Project. More than three-quarters of Turks (77%) oppose the US-led war on terror, up from 56% in 2004.

The latest survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, conducted among nearly 17,000 people in the United States and 14 other nations from March 31-May 14, finds that the US-led war on terror draws majority support in just two countries - India and Russia.

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