Hafizzz
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Poll finds majority of Arab world views nuclear-armed Iran positively
Poll finds majority of Arab world views nuclear-armed Iran positively
Obama's popularity in region plummets
A new poll shows that the percentage of the Arab world that thinks a nuclear-armed Iran would be good for the Middle East has doubled since last year and now comprises the majority.
The 2010 Arab Public Opinion Poll found that 57 percent of respondents not only believe that Iran's nuclear program aims to build a bomb but also view that goal positively, nearly double the 29 percent who said so in 2009. The percentage of those who view it negatively fell by more than half, from 46 percent to 21 percent.
The survey was conducted June 19 through July 20 by University of Maryland professor Shibley Telhami in conjunction with the polling firm Zogby International. It included 3,976 respondents from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 1.6 percentage points.
The findings stand in marked contrast to the stances of most Sunni Arab leaders, who fear the regional implications of an Iranian bomb.
Among other findings:
* President Obama's favorable ratings fell from 45 percent in 2009 to 20 percent this year while his unfavorables nearly tripled, from 23 percent to 62 percent.
Similarly, the number of respondents who described themselves as "hopeful" for the administration's Middle East policy declined from 51 percent to 16 percent, while the ranks of the "discouraged" ballooned from 15 percent to 63 percent.
*Sixty-one percent of respondents cite the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the issue on which they are most disappointed with the Obama administration, while 27 percent choose Iraq and 4 percent Afghanistan.
*Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 86 percent would support a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, in principle.
So who has problems with Iran ?