Iraq Portrait: How the Press Has Covered Events on the Ground
Through the first 10 months of 2007, the news media’s picture of Iraq was painted mostly in bleak colors. But reports about daily attacks declined in late summer and fall, as did the amount of coverage from Iraq overall.
Public Sees Progress in War Effort
For the first time in a long time, nearly half of Americans express positive opinions about the situation in Iraq and judgments about the overall situation in Iraq have been improving steadily since the summer.
Will Shared Concern about Iran Provide Common Ground for Middle East Negotiators in Annapolis?
Chances for progress at the Middle East conference should be bolstered by the presence of Saudi Arabia, which is viewed as a key ally in much of the Arab world.
Dems Debate Iraq Withdrawal Timetable
When debate moderator Tim Russert asked the Democratic presidential candidates if they would pledge to have all U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of their first term, the leading candidates all declined to make a firm pledge. Are they in sync — or out of sync — with the views of Democratic voters on the question of an Iraq war withdrawal timetable?
Petraeus’ Proposals Draw Public Approval, But Fail to Lift War Support
A new Pew survey finds most Americans (57%) approve of the general’s recommendations for troop withdrawals, but just 16% say Petraeus’ statements have made them more optimistic about the war, while 67% say their views were unchanged by the general’s report.
What Could Convince Americans to Stay the Course in Iraq?
A look at the course of opinions about the Iraq war over the past few years suggests that two crucial but opposing factors in U.S. thinking will likely shape the public’s response to the Petraeus report.
Along the Iraq-Vietnam Parallel
To many observers the most obvious parallel between the two conflicts is that, after early public support, disillusionment mounted as hostilities dragged on. But while the overall trajectory is similar, an important political difference distinguishes public attitudes toward the two wars.
A Summer of Discontent with Washington
All three branches of the federal government are under fire from the American public. Just 29% approve of President Bush’s job performance while the proportion with a favorable view of Congress has declined 12 percentage points since January. Even favorable opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court have fallen, from 72% in January to 57% currently.
In Search of a Way Out: Rethinking the Arab-Israeli Conflict
In an interview with the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Palestinian scholar Sari Nusseibeh discusses ways in which a settlement could help resolve the larger tensions between Islam and other faiths.
Iraq Dominates News Landscape in First Half of 2007
So far, the war in Iraq has eclipsed most other 2007news stories. Second string stories ranged from politics and crime to pet food and celebrities, but the public stayed primarily tuned to casualties and troop levels.
