Memo: Americans Oppose a Hawkish Foreign Policy Against Iran
Policy Memo by Rabyaah Althaibani
Polling Memo By Ethan Winter and Lew Blank
On January 3, the United States government assassinated Major General Qassim Suleimani, chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force. Suleimani was one of Iran’s top military commanders and helped shape the country’s foreign policy. In response to Suleimani’s killing, Iran retaliated against the United States, firing twenty-two missiles at an American base inside Iraq, injuring, but not killing, several American soldiers.
Executive summary:
A plurality of voters oppose the United States taking further military action against Iran (40 percent support, 45 percent oppose).
Voters strongly oppose an American invasion of Iran, opposing such a step by a margin of 34 percentage points (26 percent support, 60 percent oppose).
A plurality of voters think that Trump should have sought congressional approval before ordering Suleimani’s assassination (47 percent think he should have sought authorization, 38 percent think he should not have).
Voters oppose attempts to restore the draft by a 30-point margin (28 percent support, 58 percent oppose). More broadly, they oppose US interference into other countries’ affairs by a 28-point margin (23 percent support, 58 percent oppose).
