President Obama’s surprising decision to seek Congressional approval for a military strike against Syria is a major risk given the uncertainty of passage for the resolution. But, a look at a trio of poll numbers from an NBC News poll released late last week suggest that the President might not […] Read more »
Public Opinion Runs Against Syrian Airstrikes
President Obama faces an uphill battle in making the case for U.S. military action in Syria. By a 48% to 29% margin, more Americans oppose than support conducting military airstrikes against Syria in response to reports that the Syrian government used chemical weapons. [cont.] Pew Read more »
Six in 10 Oppose U.S.-Only Strike on Syria; A Closer Division if Allies are Involved
Nearly six in 10 Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll oppose unilateral U.S. missile strikes against Syria, and even more oppose arming the Syrian rebels – a complication for Barack Obama and proponents of military action in Congress alike. Even given the United States’ assertion that the Syrian […] Read more »
Does Obama Have the Right to Change His Mind on Syria?
… Putting aside the substantive policy question of whether we should or should not punish Syria for its apparent use of chemical weapons with a surgical and proportionate attack–and there are plenty of meritorious arguments on both sides of that question–what if he just changed his mind? Are president’s allowed […] Read more »
Congress and the use of force in Syria
… Third, the impact of public opinion is worth pondering, as lawmakers start pointing to the unpopularity of punitive strikes against Syria to justify their opposition. Two findings from Adam Berinsky’s work (both in his book, In Time of War, and in a recent article) are relevant on this score. […] Read more »
Do Americans want U.S. Intervention in Syria? What the Polls Really Mean
With the Obama administration contemplating an air strike against Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons, several news stories have suggested the American public would be against such action. But, as usual, the polls that underlie these conclusions are highly misleading. The truth is the public is highly unengaged […] Read more »