Public Agenda Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index

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Iran: Preference for Diplomacy

Over the course of the Foreign Policy Index, we’ve found a clear preference for non-military solutions to international problems. If anything, that has strengthened in this edition.

For example, 69 percent of the public now say there should be more emphasis on diplomatic and economic methods in the war on terrorism over military means, an increase of five points since we first asked the question in 2005. More than half of the public continues to say it’s “very important” to only use force when we have the support of our allies.

And while there’s been a lot of debate in policy circles and the media over whether the United States should negotiate with its enemies, the public generally thinks we should—at least specifically in the Israeli-Palestinian situation. Seventy percent think the United States and Israel will have to work with unfriendly countries in the Middle East to resolve the conflict (32 percent “agree strongly”).

But the most difficult relationship for the United States in the Middle East (aside from Iraq) is with Iran and the ongoing dispute over its nuclear program. There’s been a 12-point jump over the last six months in those who favor using diplomacy to establish better relations with Iran, with 47 percent now saying that’s the best strategy. As in previous editions of the survey, very few want to use force or even threaten to do so with Iran (only 12 percent total).

That’s true even though preventing the spread of nuclear weapons is one of the public’s top foreign policy priorities, with three-quarters calling it “very important.” Yet this is another area where the public wonders how much can be done. Nearly 6 in 10 (58 percent) think it’s unrealistic to expect the United States to prevent more countries from developing nuclear weapons, and only 23 percent think the United States can do “a lot” to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.

Next: Iraq: Relatively
Less Important