“It is a rare year that foreign policy takes center stage in Congressional elections. Voters are calling for a sea change in U.S. foreign policy. They want less emphasis on military force, and more on soft power,” said Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA).
PIPA just released a comprehensive new poll covering American attitudes on relations with the rest of the world. The poll shows seven out of ten Americans today prefer Congressional candidates who will "pursue a new approach to U.S. foreign policy."
The President
According to the poll, Americans are not happy with the way President George Bush has directed America's relationship with the world.
- 60% of those asked say the president’s handling of foreign affairs has increased the likelihood of terrorist attacks against the United States.
- 78% say it has decreased international goodwill toward the United States.
- 65% say the administration is “too quick to get military forces involved.”
- Instead, 67 percent want to “put more emphasis on diplomatic and economic methods.”
Follow the Money
The poll also looked into how Americans feel about spending on the military and the U.S. Defense Department. On average, poll respondents wanted to cut 36% from the current military budget.
They want to shift the spending toward preparation for disasters, funding for energy conservation and renewables, humanitarian and disaster assistance, initiatives to control the global spread of HIV/AIDS, helping poor countries develop their economies, and programs to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
The New Direction
So, if Americans don't like the current foreign policy, what would they rather see? The poll results indicate they want change in both the direction and the means of U.S. engagement with the world:
- 84% favor putting greater emphasis on reducing U.S. dependence on oil.
- 83% say the U.S. should do more to coordinate intelligence and law enforcement efforts with other countries.
- 71% favor working through the United Nations to strengthen international anti-terrorism law and enforcement.
- 57% want to build goodwill toward the United States by providing food and medical assistance to people in poor countries.
- Just 28% favor helping dissidents try to overthrow the government of Iran
- Only 25% want the U.S. to build new nuclear weapons.
