War in Afghanistan May be the Least Popular Conflict in U.S. History
The Afghanistan war is the longest in U.S. history, and now the least popular as well.
Public opposition to the conflict now stands at 82%, according to a new CNN/ORC International poll. That’s worse than the lowest points reached during the wars in Iraq and Vietnam, according to CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
“Those numbers show the war in Afghanistan with far less support than other conflicts,” Keating said. “Opposition to the Iraq war never got higher than 69% in CNN polling while U.S. troops were in that country, and while the Vietnam War was in progress, no more than six in 10 ever told Gallup’s interviewers that war was a mistake.”
Only 17% of respondents said they still support the 12-year-old war in Afghanistan. The decline in support has been dramatic since 2008, when favorability was at 52%.
The new survey found 57% believe the conflict is going badly for the U.S. Only about 30% say America is winning the war, which has killed 2,300 U.S. troops.
American combat forces are supposed to completely withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of next year. But that’s not fast enough for more than half of the country, which wants the pullout to be over sooner.
President Barack Obama intends to keep as many as 10,000 soldiers in Afghanistan beyond 2014, if he can negotiate a new security agreement with Kabul.
But only a quarter of respondents agree with this strategy.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
To Learn More:
CNN Poll: Afghanistan War Arguably Most Unpopular in U.S. History (CNN)
Majority of Americans Believe that U.S. Invasion of Afghanistan was a Mistake (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
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