Majority Backs NSA Phone Tracking
56% of Americans say the NSA’s monitoring of the phone records of millions of Americans is an acceptable anti-terror tactic. Americans have supported government efforts to investigate terrorist threats, even at the expense of personal privacy, since 2006.
Balancing Act: National Security and Civil Liberties in Post-9/11 Era
Since 9/11, Americans generally have valued protection from terrorism over civil liberties, yet they also have expressed concerns over government overreach and intrusions on their personal privacy.
Should Guantanamo be open or closed? Either way, Democrats have stuck with Obama
One near-certainty on which President Obama can count in his renewed effort to close the prison at Guantanamo is support from rank-and-file Democrats who have consistently backed him on this issue.
Obama and drone strikes: Support but questions at home, opposition abroad
In his address Thursday on U.S. counterterrorism policy, President Obama defended the use of drones, which has the support of the U.S. public but is strongly opposed abroad.
Public Interest in Benghazi Investigation Remains Limited
Fewer than half of Americans say they are following the Benghazi hearings very or fairly closely, virtually unchanged from late January when Hillary Clinton testified.
What Pakistan Thinks
As Pakistan prepares for this weekend’s elections, the Taliban has significantly stepped up its attacks. And no matter which party emerges victorious from the May 11 poll, it will have to answer to a public that is increasingly worried about the threat extremism poses to the Pakistani state.
Most Expect Future ‘Acts of Terrorism’
The Boston Marathon bombings last week attracted broad public interest, with 63% of Americans saying they followed the news very closely. The incident appeared to confirm the public’s long-held belief that occasional terrorist acts are to be expected.
Views of Religious Extremism
There are high levels of concern about religious extremism among Muslims in the homelands of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. Most Muslims in the region reject violence against civilians.
After Fight Over CIA Director Ends, A Look at Public Opinion on Drones
The Senate on Thursday confirmed John Brennan to be the new director of the CIA after several senators took part in a filibuster focusing on the administration’s drone strategy. A majority of Americans support drone strikes against suspected terrorist targets abroad, but some (31%) express concerns are about the legality of the program.
U.S. Use of Drones, Under New Scrutiny, Has Been Widely Opposed Abroad
The U.S. drone campaign against suspected terrorists is drawing new attention on Capitol Hill with the nomination of White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to be Director of Central Intelligence. But outside of the United States, opinion on the use of drones for targeted killings is already clear: there is considerable opposition to the drone campaign in a majority of nations surveyed.
