POLL: Americans See More Enemies Than Friends In Middle East

Americans remain skeptical of most of those countries eight years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks as one war in the region winds down and another one intensifies.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia fare best in the eyes of many Americans, while Iran continues to be viewed as America’s number one enemy in the region.

Of course, none of the Islamic countries comes close to the positive feelings most adults here have toward Israel.

Even as U.S. troops draw down in that country, 64% of U.S. voters say the war in Iraq is not over.

Forty percent (40%) of adults say Afghanistan is a U.S. enemy, as the Obama administration shifts more troops into the country to fight the revitalized radical Islamic Taliban there. Only 15% see Afghanistan as an ally and 39% as somewhere in between the two.

Voters oppose direct peace negotiations with the Taliban for now, and 83% expect the president will have to send more U.S. troops into Afghanistan in the next year or so.

Seventy percent (70%) of Americans say Israel is a U.S. ally, nearly twice the finding for Egypt, the most highly regarded Islamic country. Only eight percent (8%) of Americans say Israel is an enemy, and 16% put it somewhere in between.

Eighty-one percent (81%) of U.S. voters believe Palestinian leaders must recognize Israel’s right to exist as part of any Middle Eastern peace agreement.

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