June 14, 1999
Web posted at: 5:00 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, June 14) -- Only 40 percent of all Americans would describe the outcome of the airstrikes in Kosovo as a victory for the United States, according to a new CNN/USA TODAY/Gallup poll.

And even though most respondents believe that the U.S. now appears stronger in the eyes of the world, the poll indicates only 44 percent say that other countries have more respect for the U.S. as a result of Kosovo.

Two-thirds of those questioned said that President Bill Clinton deserves credit for the peace agreement in Kosovo, but one in five said he deserves a great deal of credit. According to the poll, a majority of Americans continue to believe Clinton does not have a well-thought-out policy toward the region. The president's approval rating is now 60 percent.

The poll was conducted June 11-13 and included interviews with 1,022 adult Americans. The margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points, unless otherwise noted.

Do you think the outcome of the airstrikes in Kosovo represents a victory for the United States, or not?

As a result of the recent confrontation with Yugoslavia and the way it has been resolved, do you think the United States now appears stronger or weaker to the rest of the world?

As a result of the recent confrontation with Yugoslavia and the way it has been resolved, do you think respect for the United States by the rest of the world has increased or decreased?

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?

How much credit do you think President Clinton deserve for the peace agreement that was reached in Kosovo -- a great deal, a moderate amount, not much, or none at all?

Do you approve or disapprove of the way President Clinton is handling his job?

The new poll also indicates that Americans remain wary of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, but the appetite for military action to remove him from power is fading.

Seven in 10 respondents say that a lasting peace in the Balkans is possible only if Milosevic ousted. But the number of Americans who say that the U.S. and NATO should continue military action in Kosovo until Milosevic is removed from power dropped from 63 percent at the start of June to 48 percent now.

Seventy percent of the public favors U.S. economic aid to rebuild Serbian areas in Yugoslavia bombed by the NATO if Milosevic is removed from power, but only 24 percent favor U.S. aid to the Serbs if Milosevic remains in office. Three-quarters of Americans favor U.S. aid to help rebuild the areas that the Kosovar refugees will return to, the poll shows.

Two-thirds of those questioned favor the presence of U.S. ground troops as peacekeepers in Kosovo and 65 percent are very or somewhat confident that the U.S. effort to establish peace in Kosovo will succeed. That is a higher level of confidence than the public expressed about similar missions into Bosnia, Haiti and Somalia in previous years.

Thinking about the chances for a secure peace in Yugoslavia while Slobodan Milosevic is still president, do you think it is possible for peace to be maintained while he remains president or do you think it is possible for peace to be maintained only if he is removed as president?

Do you feel the U.S. and its NATO allies should have continued military action in Yugoslavia until Slobodan Milosevic was removed from power or not?

Would you favor or oppose the U.S. government sending economic aid to help rebuild the area that the refugees will return to in Kosovo

Would you favor or oppose the U.S. government sending economic aid to help rebuild the Serbian areas bombed by the United States in Yugoslavia while Slobodan Milosevic is still in power?

Would you favor or oppose the U.S. government sending economic aid to help rebuild the Serbian areas bombed by the United States in Yugoslavia, if Slobodan Milosevic is removed from power?

Do you favor or oppose the presence of U.S. ground troops, along with troops from other countries, in an international peacekeeping force in Kosovo?

Regarding the situation in Kosovo, how confident are you that each of the following will happen? The U.S. effort to establish peace in Kosovo will succeed?

Regarding the situation in Kosovo, how confident are you that each of the following will happen? The U.S. effort to establish peace in Kosovo will succeed?

Monday, June 14, 1999

• Bush visits New Hampshire
• Video: Bush campaigns, media madness follows
• Poll: Reviews of Kosovo conflict mixed but most believe peace will prevail
• Gun control again heats up in Washington
• Supreme Court says anti-abortion activists must pay fines
• Lott says Congress will accept normal trade with China
• Clinton to hit fund-raising trail
• GOP candidates' stances on Supreme Court justices
• Bush pledges no abortion litmus test
• Huang arraigned on campaign finance violation
• Mrs. Clinton ready to bank contributions
• Elizabeth Dole gets campaign help from her husband
• Nethercutt says he will seek fourth term
• Clinton muses over 'Battle Hymn' and Lincoln

• Forbes challenges Bush to debates
• Scores of mayors endorse Gore
• Dole, Alexander and Kasich stump at Iowa pig fest

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