There are some interesting results. The people of the Middle East are aware of the destructive role the US plays in their region.
More people in the Middle East think the US is primarily motivated by controlling oil than by protecting Israel. This continues a trend over the last two years and is the first of the last three years that controlling oil has overtaken Israel.
The US oil lobby has directly attempted to oppose the Israel lobby and was humiliated.
A lot of the oil companies realized, 'We're not gonna beat these guys in Congress, so we might as well try to tailor their activities, where we at least have some room to work.'So I hold that many Arabs mistaken impression of US motivation. But the numbers show that impression:
| Which TWO of the following factors do you believe are most important in driving American policy in the Middle East? | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controlling oil | 53 | 47 | 39 |
| Protecting Israel | 44 | 50 | 52 |
| Weakening the Muslim world | 32 | 34 | 38 |
| Preserving regional and global dominance | 29 | 36 | 25 |
| Promoting peace and stability | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| Fighting terrorism | 8 | 5 | 4 |
I encourage anyone to scroll through the released results for yourself.
What two countries pose the biggest threat to you?
Israel 71%
US 59%
Iran 18%
There is international pressure on Iran to curtail its nuclear program. What is your opinion?
Iran has a right to its program 64% (53% in 2009)
Iran should be pressured to stop its nuclear program 25% (40% in 2009)
I also note that Brookings was careful not to ask directly what the respondents think about Israel’s legitimacy as a enforced Jewish majority state.
Instead it asks if Israel returns all 1967 territory, which is not even on the table, would the respondents accept Israel. The results were still not positive for Israel, but more positive than a relevant question would have yielded.
