New Poll: only 1 in 4 in US want more American involvement abroad; Cuba & Iran lower on List

[unhappycamper]

http://www.juancole.com/2015/08/american-involvement-abroad.html

New Poll: only 1 in 4 in US want more American involvement abroad; Cuba & Iran lower on List
By Juan Cole | Aug. 16, 2015

A new NORC/ AP poll, done before the Iran deal was announced by President Obama, shows how out of touch most of the presidential candidates are on foreign policy public opinion.

The American public just doesn’t want more involvement overseas. To be exact, a third of Americans want less involvement overseas and a third is satisfied with the amount we have. Only about a fourth wants a more pro-active foreign policy.



That speech GOP presidential Marco Rubio made yesterday about how wrong President Obama’s policies are on Cuba and Iran? Those weren’t the high items on the public’s list. Only a third even care what the president’s position is on Cuba. Something over two-thirds did care about the president’s policies toward Iran. But that issue was less on their minds than terrorism and Daesh (ISIS, ISIL). Respectively, 90% and 86% wanted to know the prospective president’s position on terrorism and Daesh.

Americans are enthusiastic about using diplomacy and economic tools to promote US interests abroad. The only times they really want to see military action is in defense of the US and its allies from a terrorist attack, or to stop a country blowing up an atomic bomb.

[bemildred]

1. I suppose it has dawned on us finally that that all this overseas engagement is costing us bad.

But I have a hard time imagining the US' current ruling elites being up to the job of governing well at home, any more than they have been up to the job of acting with character and integrity overseas.