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Once the war in Iraq is over, it will be critically important for the U.S. to provide a full accounting of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. Even then, relations between the U.S. and its allies -- and between Americans and citizens of other countries -- will be in serious need of repair.
At least, that's the opinion of the 850 or so BusinessWeek Online readers -- more than 16% of whom live outside the U.S. -- who participated in our Mar. 17 Reader Survey.
Of those who took the survey, which spanned the three days before hostilities began and roughly the first 24 hours after, some 42% felt that the Bush Administration's decision to attack was justified, vs. the 56% who thought it wasn't.
USELESS INSPECTIONS. A majority of respondents thought that one of the five primary reasons the Administration gave, directly or indirectly, for going to war made sense, with the highest number -- 27% -- citing the need to eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Some 23% of those who participated thought that none of the Administration's reasons justified an attack. At the same time, though, 51% thought it unlikely that another month of U.N. arms inspections would have helped achieve any of the Administration's objectives.
Those who participated are curious about how close the U.S. will come to achieving its top goal of eliminating weapons of mass destruction, with 86% saying it's somewhat or very important to them to see a full accounting of Saddam's mass destruction arsenal once the war is over.
Logically, perhaps, readers seemed to have the most tolerance for a short war with little bloodshed, though they were also reasonably patient. Some 73% said the war can go on for two months before they think it will have lasted too long. More than 60% think that the conflict will have become too bloody if the number of deaths of Iraqi citizens, and of U.S. and British soldiers, reach beyond a few hundred.
WHAT WILL IT COST? Readers were concerned that the war will increase terrorism in the U.S., with 67% saying terrorist attacks will become either more likely or much more likely. About 48% of those who responded think the U.S. is prepared to deal with that threat, while about 49% think it isn't.
Generally, readers seemed reluctant to spend a lot on the war, with nearly 30% saying the country should spend nothing on it, an unrealistic expectation. Only 14% said the U.S. should spend more than $100 billion, although 21% weren't sure how much should be spent. About 62% said they think the occupational force the U.S. leaves in Iraq should stay there for two years or less.
Those who participated are concerned about the impact of the war on relations between the U.S. and its allies: About 70% think those relations will deteriorate at least somewhat. Some 64% said they expect the war to hurt relations between citizens of America and those of other countries. These reactions may, in part, reflect opinions of the Bush Administration's handling of the Iraqi crisis during the buildup to war: About 60% of those who responded rated the Administration's pre-war performance bad or not very good, vs. the 31% who thought it was good or very good.
FAST IS GOOD. Some 49% thought the President's frequently expressed religious beliefs had at least some impact on his decision to attack, while 32% thought his beliefs were a neutral factor.
Bottom line, 40% of those surveyed think the war is somewhat or very necessary, vs. the 59% who think it's at least somewhat unnecessary.
Nearly 57% of those who participated think that a quick resolution to the war will have a somewhat or very positive impact when it comes to snapping the economy out of its doldrums. However, 61% say they don't plan to change their spending plans after the war, and 55% say they won't change their stock-buying plans.
Here are the complete results of the survey, which as always was unscientific, since anyone who wished to could participate:
How justified will the U.S., Britain, and Spain be to attack Iraq without the explicit approval of the U.N. Security Council?
Option
Total
%
Very justified
238
28.27 %
Somewhat justified
40
4.75 %
Justified enough to go war
72
8.55 %
Not very justified
136
16.15 %
Not justified at all
338
40.14 %
Not sure
18
2.14 %
Which of the following reasons that the Bush Administration has given for going to war do you think makes the most sense? (Please choose one):
Option
Total
%
To find and destroy Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction
230
27.41 %
To ensure U.S. access to Middle East oil
137
16.33 %
To liberate the Iraqi people from the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein
83
9.89 %
To prevent terrorism against the U.S.
94
11.2 %
To force regime change
80
9.54 %
Other
18
2.15 %
None
197
23.48 %
How likely do you think it is that another month or two of U.N.
inspections would achieve the objective you chose in the previous question?
Option
Total
%
Very likely
84
10.08 %
Somewhat likely
132
15.85 %
Neither more likely or less
72
8.64 %
Somewhat unlikely
63
7.56 %
Not likely at all
422
50.66 %
Don't know
60
7.20 %
Once the war is concluded, how important do you think it will be for the U.S. to provide the world with a full accounting of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction?
Option
Total
%
Very important
614
73.27 %
Somewhat important
108
12.89 %
Not very important
47
5.61 %
Unimportant
52
6.21 %
Not sure
17
2.03 %
How long can war go on before you'll feel that it's taking too long?
Option
Total
%
A few days
164
19.69 %
A few weeks
222
26.65 %
Two months or more
222
26.65 %
Six months or more
163
19.57 %
Not sure
62
7.44 %
How many U.S. and British soldiers can be killed in the war before you'll feel that casualties are too high?
Option
Total
%
Any
259
31.13 %
Dozens
98
11.78 %
Hundreds
185
22.24 %
Thousands
179
21.51 %
Not sure
111
13.34 %
How many Iraqi civilians can be killed in the war before you'll feel that too many have died?
Option
Total
%
Any
300
36.01 %
Dozens
72
8.64 %
Hundreds
136
16.33 %
Thousands
214
25.69 %
Not sure
111
13.33 %
Do you think the war will make terrorism in the U.S.:
Option
Total
%
Much less likely
31
3.71 %
Less likely
93
11.12 %
Neither less nor more likely
128
15.31 %
More likely
219
26.2 %
Much more likely
342
40.91 %
Don't know
23
2.75 %
How prepared do you think the Bush Administration is to intercept/head off terrorism in the U.S.?
Option
Total
%
Very prepared
76
9.10 %
Somewhat prepared
227
27.19 %
Prepared enough
95
11.38 %
Not prepared enough
304
36.41 %
Totally unprepared
102
12.22 %
Not sure
31
3.71 %
What's an acceptable amount for the U.S. to spend on the war?
Option
Total
%
Nothing
246
29.5 %
No more than $10 billion
69
8.27 %
No more than $50 billion
98
11.75 %
No more than $100 billion
116
13.91 %
No more than $200 billion
47
5.64 %
More than $200 billion
81
9.71 %
Don't know
177
21.22 %
Once the war is over, how long should the U.S. maintain an occupational force in Iraq?
Option
Total
%
Less than six months
227
27.38 %
Up to one year
135
16.28 %
Up to two years
153
18.46 %
Up to three years
52
6.27 %
Up to four years
39
4.70 %
More than four years
95
11.46 %
Don't know
128
15.44 %
Over the long term, what effect do you think a non-U.N.-sanctioned war in Iraq will have on relations between the U.S. and its allies including France, Germany, Russia, and China that now oppose the Bush Administration's desire to attack? Relations between the U.S. and its allies will:
Option
Total
%
Improve significantly
24
2.87 %
Improve somewhat
59
7.06 %
Remain unchanged
145
17.34 %
Deteriorate somewhat
303
36.24 %
Deteriorate significantly
284
33.97 %
Not sure
21
2.51 %
Over the long term, what effect do you think a war in Iraq will have on relations between Americans and citizens of other countries? Relations between the two will:
Option
Total
%
Improve significantly
26
3.11 %
Improve somewhat
77
9.21 %
Remain unchanged
171
20.45 %
Deteriorate somewhat
259
30.98 %
Deteriorate significantly
275
32.89 %
Not sure
28
3.35 %
Up to this point, how would you rate the Bush Administration's handling of the Iraqi crisis?
Option
Total
%
Very good
134
16.03 %
Good
125
14.95 %
So-so
70
8.37 %
Not very good
104
12.44 %
Bad
400
47.85 %
Not sure
3
0.36 %
In his public comments on the Iraq crisis, President Bush frequently mentions his religion. How instrumental do you think his Christian beliefs are in his decision to attack or not? His beliefs are:
Option
Total
%
A major factor in favor or an attack
202
24.28 %
Some factor in favor of an attack
209
25.12 %
A neutral factor
270
32.45 %
Some factor against an attack
28
3.37 %
A major factor against an attack
36
4.33 %
Not sure
87
10.46 %
Taking into account everything you know about the Iraq crisis, do you feel that a war at this time is:
Option
Total
%
Very necessary
228
27.44 %
Somewhat necessary
103
12.39 %
Somewhat unnecessary
76
9.15 %
Unnecessary
412
49.58 %
Don't know
12
1.44 %
Assuming that the U.S. prevails quickly in Iraq, do you think the effect on the U.S. economy will be:
Option
Total
%
Very positive
159
19.11 %
Somewhat positive
312
37.5 %
Neutral
100
12.02 %
Somewhat negative
137
16.47 %
Very negative
91
10.94 %
Not sure
33
3.97 %
If the U.S. prevails quickly in Iraq, what would the effect be on your spending plans for the next six months? Would you:
Option
Total
%
Be likely to spend a lot more
34
4.08 %
Be likely to spend somewhat more
101
12.12 %
Not change your spending plans
505
60.62 %
Be likely to spend somewhat less
75
9.00 %
Be likely to spend a lot less
81
9.72 %
Not sure
37
4.44 %
If the U.S. prevails quickly in Iraq, what effect would it have on your investing plans? Would you:
Option
Total
%
Be very likely to buy stocks
63
7.54 %
Be somewhat likely to buy stocks
128
15.33 %
Not change your investing plans
462
55.33 %
Be somewhat less likely to buy stocks
43
5.15 %
Be much less likely to buy stocks
79
9.46 %
Not sure
60
7.19 %
Do you live:
Option
Total
%
In the U.S.
694
83.51 %
In another country
137
16.49 %
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