Only eighteen per cent of Afghans think the U.S. decision to send more troops to the country is a good idea; forty-four per cent want fewer troops. This skepticism seems to be associated with a broad belief that US military action has not and will not improve the security of Afghan civilians. The Taliban remain unpopular -- more unpopular than the United States -- but the gap is closing, and larger numbers of Afghans now see the Taliban as “more moderate” than in the past. As bad as all this is, the poll suggests there is probably enough -- if barely enough -- residual support for the international forces in Afghanistan to support a turnaround, if the US-led forces can change conditions quickly enough.
