Iran Gets Negative Reviews in Iraq, Even From Shiites

PRINCETON, N.J., May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Until now, detailed, credible data about Iraqi views on Iranian influence on the recent Iraqi elections has been sorely lacking. This gap is now filled by new results from a survey commissioned by the Princeton-based Pechter Middle East Polls, conducted in late March by a prominent Iraqi research center and focusing on a representative national sample of 3,000 Iraqis.

The findings of the Pechter survey are contrary to the conventional wisdom regarding Iranian intervention in Iraq. Such efforts face substantial popular resentment even among Iraqi Shiites, who are wrongly presumed to share Iran's interests due to their common sectarian background. As the jockeying to form a new government continues in the weeks ahead, Iraqi and American leaders would do well to consider the Iraqi public's surprisingly broad opposition to Iranian interference.

Among Shiite respondents, a large plurality expressed a negative (43 percent) rather than positive (18 percent) view of "Iran's ties with Iraqi political leaders." Although pockets of hard-line support for Tehran persist, Iraqi Shiites as a whole clearly lean against Iranian intervention in their affairs.

Pluralities also saw a large Iranian influence on other aspects of the electoral process, including militia activities, religious guidance, and links with individual Iraqi politicians. Furthermore, a mere 17 percent voiced favorable views of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad while just over half (52 percent) had a negative opinion.

The survey found that Iraqi Sunni opposition to Iranian influence was even more pronounced than expected. Two-thirds of Sunni respondents expressed dislike of Iran's ties with Iraqi political leaders. Kurdish respondents were somewhat less likely than Arab Sunnis to voice negative opinions and somewhat more likely to claim indifference or ignorance -- perhaps because they also perceived somewhat less Iranian influence inside Iraq. Even so, 67 percent of Kurds opposed Iran's ties with Iraqi politicians.

More results and analysis at www.pechterpolls.com.

About Pechter Middle East Polls

Pechter Middle East Polls (PMEP) was founded to create a more accurate, meaningful portrait of public opinion in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.  The firm believes that survey research can be used as an effective tool to ascertain future behavior and address critical issues quickly.  The results of PMEP polls are analyzed and presented in a form that offers operational information to decision makers.

SOURCE Pechter Middle East Polls

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