As we head into tonight’s debate, the Pew Research Center is out with a poll showing that most Americans favor a foreign policy that doesn’t rely so much on intervention in unstable parts of the world like the Middle East:
More than six-in-ten (63%) say they think the U.S. should be less involved with changes of leadership in the Middle East, compared with just 23% who say the U.S. should be more involved.
Although Republicans are more likely than Democrats or independents to favor greater involvement, just 34% of Republicans advocate this (compared with 20% of Democrats and 19% of independents).
The one area where this doesn’t seem to be the case is, not surprisingly, Iran:
The public has long favored tough measures to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and 56% now say it is more important to take a firm stand against Iran’s nuclear program, while 35% say it is more important to avoid a military conflict. In January, 50% favored taking a firm stand against Iran and 41% said it was more important to avoid a confrontation.