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POLITICS

50% See U.S. Involvement in Middle East as Bad for U.S.

An unprecedented 19 U.S. embassies and consulates remain closed today throughout the Middle East and North Africa in response to a terrorist threat from al Qaeda.  While the Middle East has been a major focus of U.S. policy for decades, pluralities of U.S. voters say the country’s involvement in Middle East politics has had a negative effect on both sides. In addition, more voters than ever believe most Muslims view the United States as an enemy.

Thirty-seven percent (37%) of Likely U.S. Voters believe that U.S. involvement in Middle Eastern politics hurts stability in that region, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 25% believe it helps stability. Nineteen percent (19%) believe U.S. involvement has had no impact on that region, while just as many (19%) aren’t sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 3-4, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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