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POLITICS

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending February 4, 2011

The drama on the streets of Cairo has many Americans thinking about national security and the role our country plays in the world these days.

Most expect the unrest in Egypt to spread to other Middle Eastern countries and think that will be bad for the United States. But a sizable majority (70%) also believe the United States should stay out of Egypt’s current problems.

Voters give mixed marks to President Obama’s response to the crisis in Egypt, although the survey was taken prior to news reports that the White House is actively involved in efforts to change the government there. Getting the United Nations involved would just make things worse, however, as far as many are concerned.

Closer to home, 81% of voters think it is at least somewhat likely that the political crisis in Egypt will significantly increase the cost of gasoline, with 46% who say it is Very Likely. 

While Egypt has been ruled without free elections for 30 years by President Hosni Mubarak, it also has been America’s – and Israel’s – strongest ally in the Middle East, and most Americans appear to recognize the need for a reality-based U.S. foreign policy. Sixty percent (60%) agree that it is more important for the United States to be allies with any country that best protects our own national security than it is to be allies only with countries that have freely elected governments.

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