Americans think Bush riles terrorists

Polls suggest U.S. needs to work more with other countries

By Edward Alden
FINANCIAL TIMES

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 — Most Americans think the U.S. administration’s aggressive military pursuit of the war on terrorism has made further terrorist attacks more rather than less likely, according to polls released this week before Thursday’s second anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

SIXTY-FOUR PERCENT of respondents said that the U.S. military presence in the Middle East increased the likelihood of terrorism, 77 percent thought there were widespread negative feelings towards the U.S. in the Islamic world that enhanced terrorist recruiting, and 54 per cent thought the US had been too assertive in its foreign policies.

In addition, 81 percent thought a key lesson of September 11 was that the U.S. needed to work more closely with other countries to fight terrorism, up from 61 percent in a similar poll more than a year ago.

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