[Dean's World] Dave Price: Is The Iraq War Fomenting *Anti*-Terrorism?

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Dave Price:
Is The Iraq War Fomenting *Anti*-Terrorism?
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1159415781.shtml


   I don't know how else one could read [1]this poll linked by [2]Glenn.
   The war may make a nice recruiting poster for radicals in Saudia
   Arabia or Egypt, but in Iraq their actual efforts seem to be damaging
   Al Qaeda's image irreparably.
   And of course that's besides the [3]300,000+ and counting Iraqi
   security forces in service to a democratic government that are now
   taking the fight to Al Qaeda as a direct result of the invasion.
   The poll has some other interesting results as well. The data argues
   that Iranâs oft-mentioned influence on Iraq may be overrated, as even
   among Shia only 45% view that influence as positive, while Kurds and
   Sunni Arabs are quite vehement in their view that Iranian influence is
   negative, at 79% and 94% respectively. Maliki's government enjoys a
   robust 61% approval rating, and the police, army and Interior Ministry
   all poll above 60%.
   Perhaps the most encouraging statistic for the long-term prospects of
   freedom and democracy in Iraq: the militias are uniformly very
   unpopular, with only 21% approval, and even among Shia only 33% think
   they should continue.

References

   1. http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/30289.html
   2. http://www.instapundit.com/
   3. http://www.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index.pdf