Democracy's support sinks By Susan Page, USA TODAY
Four years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, the once-strong support among Iraqis for building a unified and democratic nation has eroded in the face of increasing violence and sectarian strife.
A poll sponsored by USA TODAY, ABC News, the British Broadcasting Corp. and the German TV network ARD of 2,212 Iraqis found disillusionment about the country's political future and opposition among Shiites and Sunni Arabs to U.S. forces deployed there.
POLL DATA: Where things stand
"Four years after this war began, the fight is difficult, but it can be won," President Bush said Monday in a statement marking the anniversary of the war's start. While some Americans might want to "pack up and go home," he said, the consequences of doing so would be "devastating" for U.S. security. Success, he said, will take "months, not days or weeks." The divisions among Iraqis found in the USA TODAY/ABC News Poll underscore the problems Iraqi politicians and the Bush administration face in trying to forge a united and stable nation. Iraqis are bitterly polarized: Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds hold differing views on everything from the repercussions of Saddam's execution to whether Iraq should divide into independent states. When it comes to the best form of government for Iraq now, a majority of Kurds support a democracy and a majority of Sunni Arabs support a strongman who would rule for life. Shiites split between a democracy and an Islamic state ruled by religious principles. Solaf Mohamed Ali, 38, a Shiite woman who works in a bank, says hopes for a peaceful and unified nation now seem impossible to achieve. USA TODAY interviewed her and other Baghdad residents to supplement the poll's findings.
DOCUMENTS: Complete poll (.pdf document)
"What you are speaking about is a miracle," she says. "The time for miracles ended a long time ago." Others remain hopeful. "I still believe it's very good to be in such a country" where different groups live together, says Maitham Muslih Mahmood, 40, a Sunni engineer. While 58% support a unified Iraq, an equal majority predict that within five years Iraq will divide into regional governments or even separate states. A 43% plurality say democracy would be the best political system for Iraq, a marked decline in 16 months. In an ABC News survey before elections in 2005, 57% chose democracy. The USA TODAY/ABC News survey was taken door-to-door in all 18 provinces of Iraq from Feb. 25 to March 5. It found sharp and sometimes contradictory attitudes toward U.S. troops: •A 51% majority, including one-third of Shiites and 94% of Sunni Arabs, say attacks on U.S. forces are acceptable political acts. Only 7% of Kurds agree. •In all, 83% of Shiites and 97% of Sunni Arabs oppose the presence of coalition forces in Iraq; 75% of Kurds support them. By more than 3 to 1, Iraqis say the presence of U.S. forces is making the security situation worse. •Even so, only 35% of Iraqis want U.S. forces to leave immediately. Two-thirds say they should remain until security is restored, the Iraqi government is stronger or Iraqi security forces are better able to operate independently. Contributing: Omar Salih in Baghdad. Page reported from Washington.
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