LONDON -- The killing in Afghanistan of eight British soldiers in twenty-four hours at the end of last week has heightened debate over involvement in the war and underscored the very human costs. Pictures of the generally very young British troops lost are prominent in the media. Beleaguered Prime Minister Gordon Brown is facing sharp attacks from opposition Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
Nonetheless, British public support for this war holds. A poll by the firm ICM for the BBC and The Guardian newspaper shows an even division, with 46 percent supporting and 47 percent opposed.
The last ICM poll on this topic in 2006 showed support at 31 and opposition at 53 percent. British forces have since nearly completely withdrawn from Iraq, a consistently very unpopular war. Since World War II, the British public generally has not favored substantial military engagements overseas. Even the decisively successful 1982 Falklands War with Argentina over the Falkland Islands initially lacked strong public support.
Yet, Britain is a vital ally of the United States in Afghanistan, as elsewhere. "Someone to talk to" is how McGeorge Bundy, President Kennedy's national security adviser, described this rapport. Fundamental affinity helped forge an enduring special relationship during the total struggle of World War II.
Read Full Article »