(Wall Street Journal) Karl ZInsmeister - Working with Zogby International survey researchers, The American Enterprise magazine conducted the first scientific poll of the Iraqi public in August. The results show that the Iraqi public is more sensible, stable, and moderate than commonly portrayed, and that Iraq is not so fanatical, or resentful of the U.S., after all. Five out of 10 said democracy is Western and won't work in Iraq, 1 in 10 wasn't sure, and 4 out of 10 said democracy can work in Iraq. Only 33% want an Islamic government; a solid 60% say no. Except in the Sunni triangle, negative views of bin Laden are quite lopsided in all parts of the country. And those opinions were collected before Iraqi police announced it was al-Qaeda members who killed worshipers with a truck bomb in Najaf. When asked, "Should Baath Party leaders who committed crimes in the past be punished, or should past actions be put behind us?" a thoroughly unforgiving Iraqi public stated by 74% to 18% that Saddam's henchmen should be punished.
2003-09-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive