Six Years Later, Iraqis Ready for the U.S. to Leave

Six years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, "violence and insecurity are no longer the main concern of most Iraqis," according to a poll conducted for the BBC and other news organizations. The poll results (pdf) show that Iraqis' top personal concerns are unemployment and rising prices. Iraqis' major concerns for their country are terrorist attacks and the U.S. occupation. "Asked whether foreign countries are playing a positive or negative role in Iraq, Britain, the U.S. and Iran get the most negative scores," reports the BBC. Fifty-six percent of Iraqis say it was wrong for the U.S. to invade, up from an even 50 percent last year. Nearly 70 percent said coalition forces in Iraq are doing a bad job, "and that includes the always more favorable views of the Kurds," notes Editor & Publisher's Greg Mitchell. "That means 90% of Sunnis are negative (remember, they are supposed to be 'awakening' towards us). ... And 57% say they aren't too concerned about what might happen after the U.S. exits. In fact, about half want us to leave faster than the current timetable" of 2011. Only seven percent of respondents said they were "very concerned" that "security may worsen after the U.S. and other coalition forces have withdrawn."