Looking at Iran

By James Zogby

When American policy makers discuss Iran, the focus is on Israel, as if that were the only issue to consider. In reality, the Islamic Republic of Iran is not only a concern for Americans and Israelis. It is also a growing concern for people across the Arab and Muslim Worlds.

In "Looking at Iran: the Rise and Fall of Iran in Public Opinion", James Zogby examines how in just six years Iran has experienced a precipitous decline in popularity among Arabs and Muslims. Based on brand new polling in 20 Arab and Muslim countries, this book reveals:

- the degree of Iran's fall from favor during the past decade. Once praised for its defiance of the West, now it is increasingly seen as a meddlesome provocateur;

- the role played by Iran's involvement in Iraq, Bahrain and Syria in alienating Arab public opinion - with Syria being the "nail in the coffin" of Iran's popularity;

- the growth of a worrisome Sunni/Shia divide which threatens the unity of several Arab and Muslim countries;

- how Iran's nuclear program, once only the concern of governments, is now opposed by publics in almost every Arab and Muslim country; and
- how the Obama Administration's lower profile in the Middle East and "leading from behind" has actually improved US standing in Arab public opinion.

In preparing this eBook, ZRS surveyed 20,051 citizens in 20 countries: 17 Arab countries (Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Oman, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia) and three non-Arab countries (Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan). "Looking at Iran" includes, in an Appendix, a full report on the results from each country.

• Language: English
• Publisher: James Zogby
• Release date: Mar 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9780989041911

James Zogby

Dr. James J. Zogby is Managing Director of Zogby Research Services, LLC (ZRS), specializing in research and communications. He is the author of Arab Voices (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) and the founder and president of the Arab American Institute (AAI), a Washington, D.C.-based organization, which serves as the political and policy research arm of the Arab American community. Dr. Zogby has been personally active in U.S. politics for many years, he currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and is Co-Chair of the DNC’s Resolutions Committee. A lecturer and scholar on Middle East issues, U.S.-Arab relations, and the history of the Arab American community, he has an extensive media profile in the United States and across the Arab World. Since 1992, Dr. Zogby has written Washington Watch, a weekly column on U.S. politics that is currently published in 14 Arab and South Asian countries. In addition to "Looking at Iran," he has authored a number of other books including "Arab Voices," "What Ethnic Americans Really Think" and "What Arabs Think: Values, Beliefs and Concerns," based on polling he conducted together with his brother John Zogby.

Book preview

Looking at Iran

How 20 Arab and Muslim Nations View Iran and Its Policies

by Dr. James Zogby

Zogby Research Services

James Zogby

Copyright Zogby Research Services 2013

Published at Smashwords

Acknowledgements

A project of this magnitude is always the result of a collaborative effort. Special thanks to Elizabeth Zogby and Sarah Zogby, my colleagues at ZRS: Elizabeth,for her writing, editing, and exceptional attention to detail; and Sarah, for her work in designing this complex report and eBook, making the presentation of the material understandable. Credit must also be given to our partners at Zogby Analytics (ZA), especially to John Zogby and Jon Zogby whose work in launching this polling enterprise has made our decade-long collaboration possible; and to our star number cruncher, Joe Mazloom. Additional acknowledgment is due to Asim Srivastav and his team and to ZA's Chad Bohnert for their diligence in managing our field work. And to the Arab American Institute/Foundation for their support. Finally, my thanks to the thousands of Arab and Muslim citizens who allowed us to hear their voices and record their responses thereby giving us the opportunity to present their attitudes and concerns to a world-wide audience.

Table of Contents

Introducion: The Rise and Fall of Iran in Public Opinion

A. Overview

B. Iran's Regional Role and Changing Arab Attitudes

1. Lebanon

2. Iraq

3. The Green Movement

4. Bahrain and the Gulf Countries

6. Turkey’s Role

7. The Changing U.S. Role

C. The Nuclear Question: From 'Yes' to 'Don't Dare Go There'

1. Middle East as Nuclear Free Zone

2. What Iran Wants

3. What To Do If Iran Persists?

D. The Sectarian/Ethnic Divide: Politics Matters, but Culture Trumps

E. Conclusion

APPENDIX: Report on 20 Arab and Muslim Nations' Attitudes Toward Iran

Results

1. Favorable/Unfavorable

2. Models for Development

3. Green Movement

4. Iran’s Role

5. Peace and Stability in the Arab World

6. 1979 Iranian Revolution and Regional Stability

7. Sectarian Division

8. Relationship with Iran and its People

9. The Culture of Your Country Versus the Culture of Iran

10. Comparing Arab and Iranian Culture

11. Iran as a Nuclear Power

12. Iran’s Power in the Gulf Region

13. Iran’s Motivations

14. If Iran Persists with Nuclear Program

15. Support Military Strikes If…

Methodology

Sampling

The Rise and Fall of Iran in Public Opinion

In November of 2012, we, at Zogby Research Services, conducted polls in 20 countries. Seventeen were Arab countries (Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Oman, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia) and three were non-Arab Muslim countries (Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan). In all, we surveyed 20,051 citizens, covering four major areas of inquiry:

I. General attitudes toward Iran and the Iranian revolution

II. Attitudes toward Iranian policies in several Arab countries and a comparison of Iran’s regional role with the roles of other important international actors

III. Attitudes toward the Iranian people, Iran’s culture, and its contributions to Islamic civilization

IV. Attitudes toward Iran's nuclear program

We had polled on many of these same issues before. In 2006, for example, we surveyed attitudes in 10 countries on Iran's nuclear program.i And in 2011 we conducted a six-nation poll on Iran's regional policies.ii In addition, we asked related questions in polls in 2002, 2008, and 2009.iii As a result, we have an extensive body of data enabling us to identify changes that have occurred over time in Arab and Muslim attitudes toward Iran.

A review of our findings reveals important trends in Arab and Muslim attitudes toward Iran over the past decade. They also identify significant factors that appear to serve as drivers behind these trends.

In our 2006 poll, Iran's favorability ratings in the Arab and Muslim Worlds were at their highest point. Six years later, however, the tables have turned. What emerges from our 2011 and 2012 polls is that the earlier favorable attitudes toward Iran were less about support for Iran itself, and more a reaction to Arab public opinion's fury at Israel's behavior and U.S. policy in Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq, and the perception that Iran and its allies were standing firm in opposition to the machinations of the West. What made the difference in 2012 is that the United States has lowered its regional profile while Iran is perceived to have played a divisive role in Iraq, Bahrain, Lebanon, and Syria.

To the extent that Iran has pursued what has appeared to be an overtly sectarian agenda in each of the above arenas, Arab and Muslim opinion has lined up in opposition to the Islamic Republic and its policies.

There is also a worrisome sectarian divide that has taken hold in several countries, with Sunni attitudes largely opposing Iran and Shia communities in these countries expressing support for Iran. There are, however, limits to Iran's appeal in the Arab World and that is the result of the important role that Arab culture and identity play as a significant unifying factor in shaping attitudes across sectarian lines.

There was a time, just a few years ago, when favorable Arab public opinion of Iran in some countries stood poles apart from the positions of their governments with respect to Iran and its policies. Some observers made much of this, suggesting that the concerns with Iran's policies expressed by Arab governments were out of