New poll shows most Americans favor less interventionist foreign policy

(November 25, 2019)A new poll conducted by the Eurasia Group Foundation of 1,200 people across the US shows that belief in American exceptionalism is declining and Americans tend to support a less interventionist foreign policy

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The poll and summary can be found here.

Is America exceptional?

42.4 percent of the respondents believed that the US was exceptional for what it represents while another 18.2 percent thought it was exceptional for what it had done in the world. However, 39.5 percent thought there was nothing exceptional about the US and that it was just another country which acted in what it thought to be its own interests. This is up fully 6 percent from the previous year.

In the younger 18 to 29 age group only 45.1 thought the US exceptional, less than half. However, 75.2 percent of those over 60 thought America was exceptional.

How can peace best be achieved and sustained by the US?

The most popular choice was to keep a focus on domestic needs, chosen by 34.4 percent. 28.3 percent chose "establishing, encouraging,. and reinforcing, global economic integration". Only 19 percent chose "promoting and defending democracy". Last was the hawkish-sounding "maintaining overwhelming strength" with 18.3 per cent.

How should US respond to overseas humanitarian abuses?

The most popular answer was that the US should opt for restraint chosen by 47.1 percent, up two percent from the previous year. The second highest response favored a UN-led response at 33.5 percent. Only 19.4 percent favored US military action.

The US defense budget

Half of the respondents were in favor of leaving the defense budget as it was but twice as many of the rest preferred decreasing the budget rather than increasing it.

While the Pentagon has been focused on restraining Chinese influence in Asia, 57.6 percent of those polled said that the US should reduce its Asian presence while 42.4 percent favoredj sending more troops to allied Asian countries.

The Afghan war

There was considerable support for withdrawing immediately from Afghanistan 38.8 percent. Another 31.4 percent wanted to keep fighting until a peace deal was reached with the Taliban. However, 29.8 percent took a hawkish approach and wanted US troops to remain until "all enemies are defeated".

The Eurasia Group poll on Afghanistan fits with the views expressed in a Pew Research Poll that found a majority of both the public and veterans did not think that either the Afghan or Iraq war were worth fighting: ".. majorities of both veterans (58%) and the public (59%) say the war in Afghanistan was not worth fighting. About four-in-ten or fewer say it was worth fighting."

64 percent of veterans found the war in Iraq was not worth it and 55 percent thought the same about the war in Syria.

The Cost of War project

Tho Costs of War project based in Brown University this November that added up the costs so far of the War on Terror. Here is a summary of their findings: Over 801,000 people have died due to direct war violence, and several times as many indirectly.

Over 335,000 civilians have been killed as a result of the fighting. 21 million — the number of war refugees and displaced persons. The US federal price tag for the post-9/11 wars is over $6.4 trillion dollars. The US government is conducting counterterror activities in 80 countries. The wars have been accompanied by violations of human rights and civil liberties, in the US and abroad."

Given these costs it is hardly surprising that Americans favor a less interventionist approach in global affairs.

Previously published  in the Digital Journal