Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Defense & National Security

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    Partisan Views of U.S. Actions in Iraq

    Support for U.S. Airstrikes in Iraq; Concern About Getting Too Involved

    As fighting rages in Iraq, most Americans (54%) say they approve of U.S. airstrikes against Islamic militants there, while 31% disapprove. But while the public backs airstrikes, there is widespread concern about the U.S. becoming too involved in Iraq. Overall, 51% say their greater concern about military action is that the U.S. will go too […]

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    Most Think the U.S. Has No Responsibility To Act in Iraq

    Survey Report As violence and chaos spreads in Iraq, the public is wary of U.S. involvement in the country. A 55% majority says the United States does not have a responsibility to do something about the violence in Iraq; 39% do see a responsibility to act. Overall public awareness of the situation in Iraq is […]

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    Global Opposition to U.S. Surveillance and Drones, but Limited Harm to America’s Image

    Revelations about the scope of American electronic surveillance efforts have generated headlines around the world. A new Pew Research Center survey finds widespread decline in the view that the U.S. respects the personal freedoms of its people. But in most countries there is little evidence this opposition has severely harmed America’s overall image.

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    Mounting Pessimism about Two-State Israeli-Palestinian Solution

    In the wake of yet another breakdown in the Middle East peace process, publics in the region have little faith that a way can be found for Israel and an independent Palestinian state to coexist peacefully with each other. Majorities or pluralities in countries across the region voice the view that peaceful coexistence is not […]

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    Iraq’s Unique Place in the Sunni-Shia Divide

    An ongoing and intensifying conflict has fallen along sectarian lines in Iraq, one of only a handful of countries that has more Shia Muslims than Sunnis. A Fact Tank post analyzes the divide between the two sects.