Americans don’t know the particulars of many foreign policy issues. Although four in 10 say they follow news about world affairs “very closely,” many Americans respond “don’t know” to questions about recent news events. For example even as the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis continues to make front page headlines, half of Americans are not sure who Yasser Arafat is and most cannot name the prime minister of Israel. And, since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks – an event that received intense media coverage – many Americans admitted to knowing little about the Islamic faith. Survey researchers consider a double-digit “don’t know” response a warning sign that an issue may not be well understood and public attitudes may not be stable.