Afghanistan

Thinking now about U.S. military action in Afghanistan that began in October 2001, do you think the United States made a mistake in sending military forces to Afghanistan, or not?

In general, how would you say things are going for the U.S. in Afghanistan -- [ROTATED: very well, moderately well, moderately badly, (or) very badly]?

Which of the following would you like to see President Obama do -- [ROTATED: increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan by the roughly 40,000 the U.S. commanding general there has recommended, increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan but by a smaller amount than the 40,000 the U.S. commanding general there has recommended, keep the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan the same as now, (or)begin to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan]?

As you may know, this week Barack Obama ordered the deployment of 17,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Do you approve or disapprove of this decision?

(Asked of those who approve of sending 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan) If Barack Obama later decides to send 13,000 more troops to Afghanistan in addition to the 17,000 he has already authorized, would you approve or disapprove?

(Asked of those who disapprove of sending 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan) Which of the following best describes the reason why you disapprove of sending 17,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan-- you think the U.S. should maintain the current number of troops it has in Afghanistan, you think the U.S. should reduce the number of troops it has in Afghanistan, or you think the U.S. should withdraw all of its troops from Afghanistan?

COMBINED RESPONSES

Do you think the United States will or will not be able to establish a stable enough situation in Afghanistan so that it can withdraw most U.S. troops from that country within the next three years?

(Asked of those who think U.S. will not be able to establish stable situation in Afghanistan within next three years) Which do you think is more likely to happen in Afghanistan over the next three years -- [ROTATED: it will be a stalemate with neither the United States nor the Taliban winning, (or) the Taliban will regain control of Afghanistan and the United States will be forced to withdraw its troops]?

COMBINED RESPONSES

Next, I'd like your overall opinion of some foreign countries. What is your overall opinion of AFGHANISTAN? Is it very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly unfavorable, or very unfavorable?

If you had to choose, which do you think is better for the U.S. -- [ROTATED: to keep a significant number of troops in Afghanistan until the situation there gets better, even if that takes many years, (or) to set a timetable for removing troops from Afghanistan and to stick to that timetable regardless of what is going on in Afghanistan at the time]?

(Asked of those who favor a timetable for removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan) For how many more years do you think the United States should have a significant number of troops in Afghanistan? [OPEN-ENDED]

BASED ON THOSE WHO FAVOR A TIMETABLE FOR WITHDRAWING U.S. TROOPS FROM AFGHANISTAN

COMBINED RESPONSES: BASED ON NATIONAL ADULTS

What should be the primary goal for the United States in Afghanistan -- [ROTATED: building a stable democratic government in Afghanistan (or) weakening terrorists' ability to stage attacks against the United States]?

If the United States and its allies withdrew their forces from Afghanistan, do you think Afghanistan will or will not fall under control of the Taliban?

(Asked of a half sample) Would you favor or oppose sending additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan to fight al Qaeda and Taliban terrorist operations in that country?

(Asked of a half sample) Would you favor or oppose moving U.S. troops from Iraq to Afghanistan in order to fight al Qaeda and Taliban terrorist operations in Afghanistan?

If you had to choose, which is the more important war for the United States -- [ROTATED: the war in Iraq (or) the war in Afghanistan]?

Next, how important do you think what happens in each of the following countries is to the United States today -- would you say it is vitally important, important but not vital, not too important, or not at all important? First, how about what happens in … [RANDOM ORDER]?

A. Afghanistan

Do you approve or disapprove of U.S. military action in Afghanistan?

Which comes closer to your view -- [ROTATED: the U.S. accomplishments in Afghanistan will be a success even if Osama bin Laden is not captured, (or) the U.S. accomplishments in Afghanistan will not be a success until Osama bin Laden is captured]?

If you had to choose, which of the following would you say is the most important goal of the U.S. military action in Afghanistan -- [ROTATED: destroying terrorist operations in Afghanistan, (or) capturing or killing Osama bin Laden, (or) removing the Taliban from power in Afghanistan]?