Canada

Canadian opinion is in line with most other global publics:  a majority believes that US-led forces should withdraw from Iraq within a year. They also tend to believe that US forces will eventually leave Iraq once it is stabilized. Two-thirds (67%) feel that the United States should withdraw its forces either immediately (32%) or within a one-year timetable (35%), just one-quarter (23%) say the troops should stay until security improves. The dominant view among Canadians (46%) is that the United States does not plan to have forces in Iraq permanently, while 41 percent believe that it does.

USA

Americans, like most publics around the world, believe that US-led forces should withdraw from Iraq within a year. They are divided, however, about whether the United States plans to keep permanent military bases in Iraq. Sixty-one percent believe the United States should pull out within a year (37%) or immediately (24%)—one-third (32%) feels the forces should remain until security improves. Asked whether they think the United States plans to have permanent military bases in Iraq, Americans are divided, with 42 percent saying they believe permanent bases are planned while 43 percent say all forces will be removed once Iraq is stabilized.

Brazil

A large majority of Brazilians agree with most other Latin Americans that US-led forces should leave Iraq according to a one-year timeline. But they are somewhat less likely to share the view that the US plans permanent bases in Iraq. Seventy percent say that the US-led forces should withdraw immediately (54%) or gradually according to a one-year timeline (16%). Only 22 percent believe the troops should stay until Iraq is more stable. Brazilians lean toward the belief that the United States plans to have permanent military bases in Iraq, but by a relatively small 47 percent to 41 percent margin.

Chile

Chileans believe the United States should withdraw troops within a year, though their support for immediate withdrawal is more modest than among other Latin Americans. A majority believes that the United States plans to have forces in Iraq permanently. While 72 percent supports the withdrawal of US-led forces, only 44 percent think withdrawal should be immediate and 28 percent feel it should be carried out gradually over 12 months. Just 16 percent believe the troops should stay until security improves. Fifty-four percent say the United States plans to have permanent bases in Iraq, while about one-quarter (27%) think it will remove its forces once Iraq has stabilized.

Mexico

The percentage of Mexicans who favour the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq is the highest not only in Latin America but also among all 22 countries surveyed. Mexico, moreover, has the largest majority saying the United States plans to keep permanent bases in Iraq. More than three out of four (78%) believe US-led forces should leave Iraq in the near future, including 68 percent who say they should pull out immediately. Only 16 percent believe foreign troops should stay until security improves. Three out of four (75%) also think that the United States plans to have permanent military bases in Iraq while less than one in five (17%) feel that its forces will leave once Iraq is stabilized.

France

The French are among those most convinced both that US-led forces should withdraw from Iraq within the next 12 months and that they probably will remain there indefinitely. Three-quarters (75%) of French respondents believe that US troops should withdraw according to a one-year timeline (41%) or immediately (34%). Very few (15%) say that they should stay until the security situation improves. Three in five (59%) also believe that the United States plans to have permanent military bases in Iraq, while only one in five (21%) say it will withdraw all of its troops once Iraq has stabilized.

Germany

Like the other European publics surveyed, Germans think that the US-led forces should withdraw from Iraq within a year. A majority also believes, however, that the United States plans to keep permanent military bases there. Seventy-two percent say that the US-led forces should pull out either according to a one-year timeline (39%) or immediately (33%). One-quarter (24%) feels that the troops should stay until security in Iraq improves. Nearly three in five (59%) also say they believe that the United States plans to have permanent military bases in Iraq while only 28 percent say its troops will leave once Iraq is stable.

Great Britain

Like other European publics, a majority of Britons—whose government has begun pulling some of its forces out of Iraq—believe that US-led forces should withdraw within a year. They are unique, however, in that they believe the United States does plan to remove all troops from Iraq once it has stabilized. Sixty-five percent of the British public says that US-led forces should withdraw within one year (38%) or immediately (27%), while 27 percent feel that they should stay until the security situation improves. Great Britain is one of only three countries (and the only European country) with a majority that believes the United States plans to eventually pull out of Iraq completely. Fifty-six percent say the United States plans to remove all its forces once Iraq is stable, while 31 percent say they believe it intends to have forces there indefinitely.

Italy

Italians share the view of nearly all publics polled that US-led troops should leave Iraq within a year. They are among those most sceptical (second only to Mexican and Turkish respondents) that the United States plans to remove its forces. More than seven in 10 (72%) Italian respondents feel that US-led forces should withdraw from Iraq according to a one-year timetable (44%) or immediately (28%). Less than one-quarter (23%) think that they should remain until Iraq is stable. Nearly three-quarters (73%) say the United States intends to have a permanent military presence in Iraq and less than one-fifth (19%) say it will eventually withdraw.

Russia

Most Russians would like US troops to withdraw from Iraq in the near future, though a modest majority believes that the United States instead plans to establish permanent bases there. Seventy-two percent of Russians favour the US-led forces leaving Iraq within a year: 49 percent say this should happen immediately and 23 percent gradually. Less than one in ten (9%)—among the lowest of the 22 countries polled—believe foreign forces should stay in Iraq until it is stable. A majority of Russians (54%) also think the United States plans to have permanent military bases in Iraq, while just 20 percent say that it plans to remove its forces.

Spain

A majority of Spaniards—whose government ordered its troops home from Iraq in 2004—think the rest of the US-led forces should withdraw within a year, though a considerable number believe the United States intends to keep them there permanently. More than two-thirds (68%) say that US-led forces should leave immediately (47%) or within one year (21%), while just 18 percent say they should stay until Iraq is stable. But Spaniards are a bit less inclined than other Europeans to think the United States plans to keep military bases in Iraq. Nearly half (48%) feel that the United States intends to have permanent bases, while 28 percent say they believe it will remove its forces when Iraq is stabilized.

Egypt

Of the 22 countries polled, Egypt has a large majority in favour of an immediate withdrawal of US-led troops from Iraq. They believe overwhelmingly, however, that the United States plans to have a permanent military presence there. More than nine out of 10 Egyptians (93%) say the US-led forces should pull out of Iraq in a year and a majority says this should be done immediately (58%). A mere seven percent prefers that the troops stay indefinitely. Sixty-eight percent also say they believe that the United States plans to have permanent military bases in Iraq, more than the other predominantly Muslim countries polled. Less than one-third (32%) feels that the United States will remove its forces once Iraq has stabilized.

Israel

A slight majority of Israelis—but smaller than in most countries—favours the United States withdrawing its forces from Iraq within a year. Another modest majority, however, thinks the United States instead intends to keep military bases there. Fifty-two percent of Israelis would like US-led troops to leave Iraq either gradually over 12 months (28%) or immediately (24%). However, a relatively large 40 percent says that these forces should remain until Iraq is stable. A majority of Israelis think the United States does not plan to leave Iraq; by a margin of 53 percent to 36 percent, they say that the US plans to keep permanent military bases there rather than pull all of its troops out once the country is stable.

Turkey

The Turkish public is among those most convinced that that the US troops should get out of Iraq immediately. It also has one of the highest percentages convinced that the United States actually intends to keep troops there permanently. Nearly four out of five (79%) in Turkey believe that the US-led troops should leave within a year, including 64 percent who say they should leave immediately and 15 percent who prefer a gradual departure over 12 months. Only 11 percent believe troops should stay until Iraq is stable. Nearly two-thirds of Turkish respondents think the United States plans permanent bases in Iraq; only 17 percent say they believe the US plans to remove all of its forces.

Kenya

Kenya is one of only three countries where majorities do not favour a withdrawal of US-led forces from Iraq within the next year. It is also one of the few that believe the United States does plan to get out of Iraq once it is stabilized. Only 46 percent believe the United States should leave within a year, including 27 percent who say it should do so immediately and 19 percent who say it should do so gradually. About the same number (45%) say US-led forces should instead stay until Iraq is stable. A majority of Kenyans (54%) also say the US will remove its troops once Iraq has stabilized, while about one-third (32%) say the US plans to stay there permanently.

Nigeria

A majority of Nigerians agree with most other publics that US-led forces should leave Iraq within a year. But unlike most of the other publics polled, Nigerians also think the United States plans to leave Iraq once it is stabilized. A modest majority (55%) of Nigerians say the United States should pull its troops out within a year, including 34 percent who say it should do so immediately and 21 percent who think it should leave gradually. Another 34 percent feel that the forces should remain until security improves. Asked whether they believe the United States plans to have permanent military bases in Iraq, nearly half of Nigerians (48%) believe that the US will remove its forces once Iraq has stabilized, while 34 percent think it plans to keep military bases there.

Australia

The public of Australia—whose troops are part of the US-led coalition that toppled Saddam Hussein—favours withdrawing the multinational forces from Iraq within a year. They do not believe, unlike most others surveyed, that the United States intends to keep permanent military bases in Iraq once it has stabilized. Sixty-three percent of Australians favour US-led troops pulling out of Iraq either gradually over 12 months (41%) or immediately (22%). Three in 10 (30%) think the troops should remain there until Iraq is stable. Although half of Australians (50%) say they believe the United States plans to remove its forces from Iraq once it stabilizes, more than a third (35%) say the United States plans to keep permanent military bases there.

China

Most Chinese respondents—along with most of the rest of the world—favour a timetable of no more than a year for the withdrawal of US-led forces from Iraq. But unlike most of the other countries polled, a majority believes the United States will remove all of its forces from Iraq once it is stabilized. More than three-quarters (76%) say the multinational forces should either leave Iraq immediately (46%) or according to a one-year timeline (30%). Just 15 percent believe that foreign troops should remain there indefinitely. China is one of only three countries where a majority of respondents say the United States does intend to pull its forces out of Iraq once it is stable (57%) rather than keep permanent bases there (31%).

India

Indians are one of only three countries without a majority in favour of a US withdrawal from Iraq within the next year. They are also less likely than other countries to believe that the United States plans to keep permanent military bases in Iraq. Forty-seven percent of Indians say that the US-led forces should withdraw either immediately (26%) or according to a one-year timeline (21%), while just 17 percent say they should remain until Iraq is stable. But large numbers (36%) decline to answer. Asked whether they believe the United States plans to keep permanent military bases in Iraq or to remove all of its forces once the country is stable, Indians lean toward the former, but only by a small margin (33% to 26%). Again, many Indian respondents (41%) decline to answer.

Indonesia

Most Indonesians want US-led troops out of Iraq within a year. They also believe, however, that the United States does not intend to leave. More than four out of five (81%) say that the US-led forces should leave Iraq and most say it should do so immediately (65%) rather than gradually over the next 12 months (16%). Just 12 percent say multinational troops should remain until Iraq stabilizes. Indonesians also lean toward the belief that the United States intends to have permanent bases in Iraq rather than remove all of its forces by a margin of 47 percent to 40 percent.

Philippines

Filipinos are among the few countries polled without a majority in favour of US withdrawal from Iraq within a year. They are divided over whether the United States intends to keep military forces there permanently. About half of those polled (47%) say  US-led forces should set a timetable to withdraw either immediately (25%) or gradually over the next 12 months (22%); almost half (44%) believe the troops should instead remain until Iraq is stable. Asked about what they think the United States plans to do, Filipinos are similarly divided:  41 percent say it intends to remove all of its troops after Iraq is secure and 39 percent say it plans to keep permanent bases in Iraq.

South Korea

Like other members of the US-led coalition in Iraq, a majority of South Koreans feel that these multinational forces should leave Iraq in the near future. Nonetheless, a small majority says they doubt the United States intends to withdraw. Sixty-three percent of South Koreans say that US-led forces set a timetable to withdraw either within one year (39%) or immediately (24%). One-third (33%) feels that the forces should stay until the country is stable. Although a slight majority (53%) feels that the United States intends to keep permanent military bases in Iraq, large numbers (42%) think instead that it plans to remove all of its forces once Iraq is secure.