Indians support US drone strikes: Poll

[1]

The frequent CIA drone attacks on terrorist safe havens in countries like Pakistan is widely opposed around the world but not in India, US and UK, according to a recent survey on America's image abroad.

In the vast majority of nations polled, there is considerable opposition to the US drone campaign against extremist leaders and organisations.

In 17 of 20 countries, more than half disapprove of the US conducting drone missile strikes to target extremists in places such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

The policy is unpopular in majority Muslim nations, but also in Europe and other regions as well. Indeed, at least three-in-four hold this view in a diverse set of countries: Greece (90 per cent), Egypt (89), Jordan (85), Turkey (81), Spain (76), Brazil (76) and Japan (75).

The three outliers on this issue are India, Britain, and the US itself. Indians who have an opinion tend to support American drone strikes (32 per cent approve, 21 disapprove), but nearly half (47) do not offer a view on this question.

Meanwhile, the British are almost evenly divided (44 per cent approve, 47 disapprove), the survey said. Americans largely support the drone attacks: 62 per cent approve; just 28 disapprove.

Across much of the EU, there is a significant ideological gap on this question. For example, a majority (56 per cent) of those who describe themselves as being on the political right in Britain favor US drone strikes against extremists, but just 31 on the left agree, the survey said.

A similar gap emerges in France, where about half of those on the right (49 per cent) approve of the drone attacks, compared with about one-quarter (26) among people on the left. Double-digit differences are also found in Italy, the Czech Republic and Germany.