Almost three-fourths of American voters believe that the United States is embroiled in too many foreign wars and should pull back, according to a new poll from
The Hill. In addition to the 72 percent who contend that U.S. troops are spread too thin, voters polled said having U.S. soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq hasn’t made the homeland safer.
Only 16 percent said U.S. involvement in so many foreign wars is appropriate, and 12 percent said they aren’t sure, according to the poll. Regarding Afghanistan, 37 percent said the presence of U.S. troops doesn’t help national security, 36 percent said it makes the United States safer, and 17 percent said it impedes U.S. security.
Meanwhile, 40 percent said military intervention in Iraq makes no difference to U.S. safety, compared with 32 percent saying the country is safer, and 20 percent saying the Iraq involvement hurts the nation’s security.
“The findings reflect a fatigue with war after a decade dominated by U.S. invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan that are now unwinding,” according to The Hill’s analysis of the poll.
Republicans are more likely than Democrats to believe that U.S. action in Afghanistan and Iraq have made the United States safer, but a significant number of Republican voters now say that the country is either less safe or U.S. involvement has made no impact.
Just over 40 percent say U.S. troops should be pulled from Afghanistan before the target date of the end of 2014.
The poll also revealed that almost half believe that U.S. troops won’t really be removed from Iraq by the end of the year.