Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Few Americans believe their federal government should become engaged in "regime change" operations, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. Only 15 per cent of respondents believe the United States should try to change a dictatorship to a democracy where it can, down 12 points since April 2004.
In his January 2005 inauguration speech, U.S. president George W. Bush said: "It is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world."
In October 2006, Bush justified his decision to launch the coalition effort in Iraq, declaring, "This country of ours must take threats seriously before they fully materialize. Saddam Hussein was a threat; the world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power. And now the fundamental question is, does this country have the wherewithal and the perseverance to help this young democracy flourish in the heart of the Middle East? I will tell you, it’s important to defeat the enemy overseas so we do not have to face them here at home."
Yesterday, Australian Labor Party (ALP) foreign affairs spokesman Robert McClelland expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s decision to join the coalition effort, declaring, "This action has seriously undermined the United Nations (UN) as an organization. (...) By supporting the Guantanamo detention regime, the (current Australian) government has demonstrated its blind loyalty to the United States has been placed above its defence of the right of a citizen to due process."
Polling Data
Should the United States try to change a dictatorship to a democracy where it can, or should the United States stay out of other countries’ affairs?
| Mar. 2007 | Feb. 2005 | Apr. 2004 | |
| Change | 15% | 18% | 27% |
| Stay out | 69% | 66% | 59% |
| Depends | 11% | 11% | 10% |
| Not sure | 6% | 5% | 4% |
Source: The New York Times / CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,362 American adults, conducted from Mar. 7 to Mar. 11, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
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