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Poll: Americans continue to support NATO strikes, but skepticism over success growingBy Keating Holland/CNN
April 1, 1999 WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, April 1) -- Americans continue to support U.S. participation in NATO strikes in Yugoslavia, according to the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll. But President Bill Clinton's foreign policy approval rating has dropped since the bombing began amid growing pessimism that the U.S. will not accomplish its objectives in Kosovo. Most Americans continue to oppose sending ground troops to Kosovo if NATO's airstrikes are not effective, but a majority believe that the U.S. will not be able to accomplish its goals without sending in ground troops. A majority believe that the NATO air strikes will eventually make things better in Kosovo once the bombing is concluded, but two-thirds think that the attacks have made the current situation worse. Does that mean the public blames the NATO airstrikes for the current refugee crisis? Not at all -- two-thirds say that the Serbian-dominated government of Yugoslavia is responsible for the large number of refugees, and 58 percent say that the government of Slobodan Milosevic has been using all means possible, including mass killings, to get rid of all ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. The number of Americans who approve of how Clinton is handling his overall job as president remains steady at 64 percent, but the number who approve of how he is handling foreign policy has dropped from 60 percent in the weekend before the bombing started to 54 percent today. Two-thirds are confident that Clinton can handle the situation in Kosovo, but the public is split evenly over whether he has a clear and well-thought-out policy in Kosovo. The survey of 1,078 adult Americans was conducted March 30-31, 1999 and has a margin of sampling error of +/- three percentage points. Note: Most interviews were conducted before it was known that three U.S. servicemen were held captive by Serbian forces. As you may know, last week the military alliance of Western countries called NATO launched air and missile attacks against Serbian military targets in Yugoslavia. Do you favor or oppose the United States being a part of that military action?
Do you believe the United States, through it participation in the current NATO airstrikes, will accomplish its objectives in Kosovo?
Do you approve of the way Bill Clinton is handling foreign affairs?
Do you approve of the way Bill Clinton is handling his job as president?
If the current NATO air and missile strikes are not effective in achieving the United States' objectives in Kosovo, would you favor or oppose President Clinton sending U.S. ground troops into the region along with troops from other NATO countries?
Regarding the situation in Kosovo, how confident are you that the U.S. will be able to accomplish its goals without sending in U.S. ground troops?
Regarding the situation in Kosovo, how confident are you that the U.S. will be able to accomplish its goals with very few or no American casualties?
From what you've heard or read, do you think the current NATO military action in Yugoslavia has made the situation in the region better or worse?
Looking ahead to when the current NATO military action in Yugoslavia has ended, do you think it will have made the situation in the region better or worse?
In your view, whose actions are more responsible for the large number of ethnic Albanians refugees now leaving Kosovo?
How confident are you in President Clinton's ability to handle the situation in Kosovo?
From what you have heard or read, do you think the Clinton Administration has a clear and well-thought-out policy on the Kosovo situation, or don't you think so?
Do you believe the Serbian government has or has not been using all means possible, including mass killings, to get rid of all ethnic Albanians in Kosovo?
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MORE STORIES:Thursday, April 1, 1999
• Clinton: Impeachment not 'great badge of shame' • Reporter's notebook: First lady's trip as a portrait of a strong woman • Poll: Americans continue to support NATO strikes, but skepticism over success growing • Former first lady Barbara Bush undergoes back surgery • McDougal attorneys given day off to prep for Steele testimony • Independent probes of Clinton Administration cost nearly $80 million • A decade later, recycling on Capitol Hill still meets resistance • Parties work together in Congress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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