skip to content

Forign Policy Association

Great Decisions

  • print
  • Send page by email




Upcoming Events »

more events »

Blogs »

The largest network of global affairs blogs online.

Subscribe to the FPA Blog feed

 

National Opinion Ballot Report

NOBR09 COVER

The National Opinion Ballot Report (NOBR) features tabulation of opinion ballots submitted by participants in the Great Decisions program. Since 1955, opinion ballots for each topic have been included with Great Decisions to enable those interested to make their views known to the U.S. public, policymakers and other Great Decisions participants.

FPA sends the National Opinion Ballot Report to the White House, the departments of State and Defense, members of Congress, the media, those participating in the balloting process and concerned citizens.

Highlights of the 2009 opinion balloting include:

Support for:

  • Stabilizing Afghanistan by incorporating tribal leaders and Taliban who have given up terrorism into the government

  • Ensuring adequate global food supply as an important part of U.S. security policy

  • The U.S. immediately ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

  • Developing a plan for the U.S. Navy based on the opening up of the Arctic within the next 10 years

  • Working through the UN to solve global challenges

  • Continuing to pursue terrorists and nonstate actors that threaten national security

  • Prioritizing the expenditure of funds for the research of viable alternative energy sources

  • Endorsing and implementing the “Responsibility to Protect” concept

    Opposition to:

  • Expanding drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and other U.S. domestic regions, including the Arctic

  • Leaving U.S. food policy as it stands

  • Maintaining the trade embargo against Cuba

  • Channeling Afghan aid through the central government in Kabul, even if conditioned on specific benchmarks

  • Downgrading the U.S.-Egypt relationship


    Other highlights

    Environment:

    78% said the U.S. should "lead the creation of a new global agreement on climate change to replace the Kyoto Protocol."

    89% agreed that "as a multilateral approach, improving energy efficiency and reducing dependence on fossil fuels should be an explicit (with specific mandates for countries) requirement of any international climate-change agreement, such as the upcoming post-Kyoto treaty to be adopted in Copenhagen in 2009."

    89% said the U.S. "should immediately ratify the 1982 United Nations

    Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)" in regards to the Arctic.

    95% said the U.S. "must develop a plan for its Navy based upon the premise that the Arctic region will be open for exploration, transport and trade in the next 10 years."

    Afghanistan:

    15% said the U.S. should "increase current U.S. troop levels operating in Afghanistan, regardless of other NATO contributions."

    95% agreed that "given the political and cultural history of Afghanistan, incorporating in the government tribal leaders and Taliban who have given up terrorism is an important step toward the stabilization of the country."

    56% said the U.S. should "reduce troop levels in Iraq to send more troops to Afghanistan."

    Other issues

    51% said the U.S. should "take any action necessary to keep nations that currently don't have them from developing nuclear weapons."

    72% said "the U.S. should drop the current embargo against trade with Cuba."

    49% advocate "armed intervention to stop abuses in Darfur."

    Download Related Materials

    National Opinion Ballot Report 2003 National Opinion Ballot Report 2003 (114K) [download]

    National Opinion Ballot Report 2004 National Opinion Ballot Report 2004 (1998K) [download]

    National Opinion Ballot Report 2005 National Opinion Ballot Report 2005 (893K) [download]

    National Opinion Ballot Report 2006 National Opinion Ballot Report 2006 (1980K) [download]

    National Opinion Ballot Report 2007 National Opinion Ballot Report 2007 (1946K) [download]

    National Opinion Ballot Report 2008 National Opinion Ballot Report 2008 (1016K) [download]

    National Opinion Ballot Report 2009 National Opinion Ballot Report 2009 (967K) [download]

    •  

    © copyright 2005 Foreign Policy Association