62% of Americans Want Immediate Troop Cuts in Afghanistan

New Poll Shows Overwhelming Opposition to Continuing War

A new CBS News poll on American public sentiment toward the Afghan War, which is approaching its 10th anniversary, shows overwhelming opposition on a number of fronts, with strong majorities demanding immediate troop cuts and overwhelming majorities opposed to continuing the conflict much longer.

The poll showed 62 percent of Americans want immediate troop cuts, with only 24 percent content to keep levels where they are and 7 percent open to an increase.

Other questions showed that the number who want major, immediate cuts has increased from July of 2010, with only 28 percent of Americans willing to have large numbers of troops remaining in Afghanistan for more than two additional years.

A “two additional year” window isn’t going to do the Obama Administration much good, particularly with officials trying to set up a deal to keep troops in Afghanistan through 2024. The overwhelming opposition seems to be coming to a head, and is something which will need to be addressed sooner, rather than later.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.