In a recent Zogby Interactive survey of adults nationwide, respondents were asked to choose a statement that came closest to their view on the War on Terror. About 45% of the respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that our efforts in the War on Terror should focus on addressing anti-American sentiment in the world, compared to 37% of the respondents who strongly or somewhat agreed that our efforts in the War on Terror should focus on using military force. About 18% of the respondents chose “none of the above” or “not sure.”
Significant differences were found between ideological groups. Seventy-seven percent of liberals are in favor of focusing on anti-American sentiment, compared to 18% of conservatives who think so. Moderates are leaning towards liberals on this issue; sixty-one percent of them believe that dealing with anti-American sentiment should be the priority. Around two-thirds (67%) of conservatives believe that the focus should be on using military force, compared to 22% of moderates and 4% of liberals who believe so.
Where do you stand on this issue? If you believe that anti-American sentiment in the world is the primary issue here, what do you think should be done to address it? If you think that our efforts in the War on Terror should focus on using military force, what do you think would be the best course of action for the government?
To the surprise of many, President Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The reaction at home has been mixed, with criticisms being raised not only by conservative but also liberal writers. Reactions abroad appear to be following the same line, with some writers suggesting that the president should not have accepted the prize.
Why do you think the President was awarded the Prize? Do you believe that it enhances the prestige of the President and/or the prize? Do you think it helps sustain and enhance the world’s peace?
In his recent speech to the United Nations, President Obama said, “yearning for peace is universal”. However, according to Zogby Interactive data, a majority of Americans believe that, at the very least, yearning for war is, likewise, universal. According to our July 2008 poll of American adults, 58% of adults agree that “waging war is a part of human nature”, compared to 32% who disagree. Although Republicans are much more likely to hold this view than Democrats (75% vs. 41%), First Globals™ (18 – 29 year olds), the age-group most likely to have voted for Obama, is also the generation most likely (63%) to believe that humans are naturally violent.
This runs contrary to the view of young adults as naïve and idealistic and shows them to be in some ways perhaps more cynical than older generations such as President Obama’s. Do you think that First Globals’ apparent cynicism could play a role in the First Globals’ support for the President?
What gives one country right to intervene in other country’s internal affairs? Is it a pursuit of self-interest or protection of the indigenous population? Zogby data show that Americans of different ages significantly disagree in this respect.
For example, First Globals™ are much more likely than other age groups to say that “protection of human rights” gives America a right to intervene in other countries’ foreign affairs, with 48% of First Globals™ choosing that as a legitimate reason to intervene compared to only 23% of Americans over 65. They are also the generation least likely to say that “protection of America’s own interests” gives the U.S. a right to intervene in other countries’ affairs, with only 28% of them recognizing such right compared to 44% of Americans over 65.
It appears that First Globals have less respect for country’s boundaries – feeling, to a lesser extent than other generations, that countries are not allowed to act in their own self-interest or ignore what is happening in other places. If First Globals™ keep these views as they grow older, once agreed-upon principle of sovereignty appears to be destined for oblivion. Do you believe that that will, in fact, happen? And, in your view, is that going to make the world more or less peaceful?
Why do wars happen? Power, land, money, oil, the girl, or is it simply that bad guys attack the good guys? Those over 65 are particularly likely to agree with the latter. According to Zogby data, 31% of 18- to 29-year-olds agree with the statement “more often than not, wars are a conflict between good and evil” compared to 51% of people 65 years or older. The other age groups fall somewhere in between.
This suggests that First Globals™ might be less likely to perceive international conflicts in black and white. Interestingly, Zogby data on humanitarian interventions suggest that when First Globals™ do perceive a conflict as a conflict between good and evil, they are more likely to demand military action to rectify it.
Does this propensity of First Globals™ to act for humanitarian reasons make them easier to be manipulated to serve causes they don’t fully understand? Or are they protected from it by their tendency to see the world in shades of gray? What is your view?
One of the biggest criticisms of President Bush’s foreign policy was the deterioration of our relationship with the European Union (remember “freedom fries”)? Consequently, one of the biggest promises of President Barack Obama’s campaign was that he will put our relationship with European on a better footing. President Obama seemed to have hope for more European commitment in Afghanistan and also more activity in stimulating European economies thus strengthening aggregate demand.
However, recent developments on the eve of the G20 meeting amd NATO and USA-EU summits have put some question marks on whether this will happen. In the words of Stratfor analysts: “Europe and Obama loved each other, but for very different reasons. The Europeans thought that the United States under Obama would ask less, while Obama thought the Europeans would give more.”
So far, Germany appears opposed to increasing deficit spending. The EU hopes to transfer at least some responsibility for a growing problem of East European banks to IMF – i.e Washington. And calls for less American-centered international regulation are becoming stronger. Even Czech (ex) prime-minister Topolanek has called President Obama’s plan a “road to hell”.
What are your expectations of the G-20 and NATO summits? Do you expect that our relationship with Europe will become better or it will stay the same?
Is the USA supposed to seek other countries’ approval before it engages itself militarily in international affairs? If you ask a 100 Americans say you can expect about 58 to answer negatively. Those disagreeing with them might find comforting thoughts in the fact that youngest Americans are most likely to say yes.
Thus, our data show that First Globals are the age group least likely to approve of the U.S. taking action on its own. For example, they are more likely to believe that UN Security Council approval is needed to wage war against another country. More than a third (38%) of First Globals would seek UN approval, compared to about a quarter of all other age groups. In roughly the same numbers, First Globals would seek the approval of NATO countries before taking military action against another country.
However, while multilateralism is more prevalent among First Globals than other age groups, unilateralism is still the most popular option. A plurality of First Globals would not seek UN Security Council (44%) or approval of NATO members (43%) for military action against another country.
People usually give two types of justification for unilateralism. One is the idea that U.S. can do it alone because it, like any other country, has a right to act in its own best interest. The other is the belief that the history of freedom and democracy in the U.S. makes it morally superior to other counties, and therefore gives it a moral right to do it alone – a right that other countries do not have. Do you believe in unilateralism; and if so, why?
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Notes
"Unless otherwise noted, all data used on this blog comes from various surveys conducted by Zogby International. Please contact us with any additional questions relating to survey data and methodology."
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