Majorities of Sunnis and Shias Want Americans To Withdraw After Government Is In Place

by Steve

A new Zogby poll out this afternoon, taken through last Sunday in Iraq, shows how fractured things are in that country leading up to the election:

Iraq’s Sunday elections will be held against a backdrop of deep division between the country’s ethnic groups, with an overwhelming majority of Sunni Arabs refusing to vote in the January 30 elections, a new Abu Dhabi TV/Zogby International poll finds. The poll also finds majorities of both Iraq’s Shiites and Sunnis calling for a rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces from their soil.

Majorities of both Sunni Arabs (82%) and Shiites (69%) also favor U.S. forces withdrawing either immediately or after an elected government is in place.

How troubling is it that both of them want us gone?

The poll also found that of Iraq’s ethnic and religious groups, only the Kurds believe the U.S. will “help” Iraq over the next five years, while half (49%) of Shiites and a majority (64%) of Sunni Arabs believe the U.S. will “hurt” Iraq.

So much for being seen as liberators.

“What’s truly alarming isn’t the number of Sunni Arabs who want to delay Sunday’s vote,” Zogby said. “What’s alarming is that more than half—53% in this survey—believe that ongoing attacks in Iraq are a legitimate form of resistance. With this group already boycotting the election, this makes for a very violent combination.”

Swell. Rather than hoping the populace would side with us and “democracy” against the insurgents, we’ve managed to legitimatize those attacking us.

The survey also asked Iraqis which nations they believed it was possible to foster improved relations with. While a majority of Iraqis believe relations can be improved between Iraq and neighbors Kuwait, Turkey, and Iran, all ethnic and religious groups overwhelmingly rejected improving relations with the State of Israel.

Yeah, that PNAC grand plan of making the Middle East safe for Israel through a demonstration of US military dominance sure is working, isn’t it?

Iraqis do not desire to remake their country in the image of neighboring Iran, however. Three-in-five (59%) favor a system where citizens are allowed to practice their own religion, while one-in-three (34%) would prefer an Islamic government.

I guess we should be glad that three-fifths want freedom of religion in a new Iraq, and don’t want to be like Iran. But one third don’t, and that is too high a number for my comfort.