Every year, Pew Research Center publishes hundreds of reports, blog posts, digital essays and other studies on a wide range of topics, from the demographic and political changes that are reshaping the United States to the attitudes and experiences of people in dozens of other countries. At the end of […] Read more »
U.S. military confrontation with Iran would be unpopular. Here’s why.
Earlier this summer, after Iran downed an unmanned U.S. military aircraft, President Trump said he had approved — then put a stop to — a U.S. missile strike on Iran. Polling showed most Americans supported aborting the mission. … This unpopularity of intervening in Iran fits with larger public opinion […] Read more »
Majorities of U.S. veterans, public say the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were not worth fighting
Nearly 18 years since the start of the war in Afghanistan and 16 years since the U.S. invasion of Iraq, majorities of U.S. military veterans say those wars were not worth fighting, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of veterans. A parallel survey of American adults finds that […] Read more »
Americans’ Favorable Views of China Take 12-Point Hit
After a year of escalating trade disagreements between the U.S. and China, Americans’ views of the country have dropped sharply to their lowest levels since 2012. Currently, 41% of Americans say they have a favorable view of China — down 12 percentage points from last year. … Americans’ neighbor to […] Read more »
U.S. Needs Cooperation With Others to Reach Objectives: A Conversation With Joseph S. Nye
Soft power is the ability to affect others to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payment. It supplements rather than replaces hard power, but if you are attractive, you do not have to spend as much on carrots and sticks as otherwise would be the case. […] Read more »
Trump’s base did not elect him to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan
President Trump has faced bipartisan criticism over his decision to withdraw troops from Syria. Most notably, Jim Mattis resigned as secretary of defense in protest. Trump’s answer to the critiques? He tweeted: “I campaigned on getting out of Syria and other places. … Just doing what I said I was […] Read more »