Originally published on the CGS blog on December 1, 2009.
On Sunday, President Obama issued orders to send 30,000 additional
American troops to Afghanistan. He will address the nation tonight to explain his decision and rally an American public that “no longer sees the war as worth fighting,” according to the Washington Post.
The article cites public opinion polls to back up this claim. However, according to commentary by Worldpublicopinon.org, “there are no polls that show a majority wanting to withdraw.” Instead, these polls reflect a divided public; one that is uncertain about our future in Afghanistan.
A poll conducted by the Washington Post on November 15 asked, “considering the costs to the United States versus the benefits to the United States, do you think the war in Afghanistan has been worth fighting, or not?” 52% responded that the war is not worth fighting. While this is a majority, it only indicates the percentage of the public that thinks the benefits of the war don’t outweigh the costs. According to Worldpublicopinion.org, “this does not tell us whether or not Americans have decided to cut their losses and quit, stay in the game, or even to raise their bets.”
Thus, this poll does not necessarily mean that the public wants out of Afghanistan and has no reflection of President Obama’s decision. Not to worry, though, evaluations of his decision will be in abundance after his address tonight. Only then can we determine the true opinion of the public.
