THE 79% CAMPAIGN---HOW TO MAKE OPINIONS OF IRAQIS MATTER IN THE US

photo of Iraqi girl after 2003 invasion, courtesy of Mary Trotochaud and Rick McDowell

THE 79% CAMPAIGN-HOW TO MAKE OPINIONS OF IRAQIS MATTER IN THE US

Anyone have any ideas on this? I'd love to hear it.

Here's my suggestion: "memorize for peace" a few of the following stats on Iraqi public opinion and spread them far and wide. When I was talking to Andrew about these striking statistics that are almost never used in arguments on Iraq on the Hill, he said "79% of Iraqis are proven to oppose coalition presence in their country? Why isn't that the title of a campaign?"

The idea of the "campaign" is to drive home the point that the real "experts" support a speedy (different than "precipitous") withdrawal of US military presence from Iraq--but its not just that.

It is about working towards the much, MUCH longer term goal of changing the American consciousness and consequently US foreign policy.

These stats demonstrate that an overwhelming majority of Iraqis believe the "surge" has worsened security, oppose the US-led presence in their country, believe the US is making the security situation worse, endorse a time-line for withdrawal, and believe the US is provoking more conflict than it is preventing.

The majority of Iraqis want the US to withdraw within a year, and majorities believe that a US withdrawal will increase political progress in the Iraqi parliament, availability of public services, and decrease crime. The situation is so horrific that a majority of Iraqis support attacks on US troops, at the same time that an overwhelming majority of Iraqis are opposed to al-Qaeda.

Importantly, all of these now majority opinions have only increased throughout the duration of the US-led occupation.

• About 70% of Iraqis believe the US military “surge” of extra troops over the past six months has worsened security

• 79% of Iraqis oppose the presence of coalition forces in their country

• 72% of Iraqis believe that US presence is making the Iraq security situation worse overall.
  

• 87% of Iraqis endorse a time-line for US withdrawal

• 78% say that the US is provoking more conflict than it is preventing (82% of Shias, 97% of Sunnis, and 44% of Kurds hold this view)

• 76% of Iraqis believe that if the US withdraws in 6 months, there will be an increase in the “willingness of factions in parliament to cooperate

• 67% of Iraqis believe that there will be increased public services if the US withdraws in 6 months

• 64% believe that there will be a decrease in the amount of crime if the US withdraws in 6 months.
  

• Finally: 71% of Iraqis support withdrawal of US forces within a year.

(37% call for withdrawal within 6 months, 34% opt for all US led forces to leave in a one year timeline. 27% favor two year timeline, and only 9% favor the Bush administration line of “only reducing US led forces as the security situation improves in Iraq.)