Poll: Most Opposed to Arming Syrian Rebels
Most Americans continue to oppose sending weapons to Syrian rebels after the Obama administration announced it would do so last week, according to several new polls. And a HuffPost/YouGov poll finds that even among those who believe that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against rebels, more people oppose sending weapons than support it.
According to the new HuffPost/YouGov poll, 53 percent of Americans say that the U.S. military should not provide weapons to rebels in Syria, compared to 19 percent that agree with the arms support. Respondents to the poll also opposed U.S. air strikes in Syria (48 percent to 19 percent) and sending U.S. troops to Syria (68 percent to 8 percent).
Not surprisingly, respondents also said that they disapproved of President Obama's decision to send weapons, by a 49 percent to 26 percent margin.
Two other polls released Monday had similar findings. A Pew Research Center poll found that 20 percent of respondents favored "The U.S. and its allies sending arms and military supplies to anti-government groups in Syria," while 70 percent said they were opposed. That survey suggests that support for arming rebels has dropped since March of 2012, when another Pew poll found 29 percent of Americans in support of providing weapons. .....................(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/18/syria-poll_n_3455775.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037