Poll: Sectarianism, Syria Drive Negative Image of Iran
The rise of sectarian tensions as a result of the Syrian conflict, and Iran’s support for the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have contributed to negative perceptions of Iran in the region, according to a new Zogby poll, reports Barbara Slavin.
WASHINGTON — Once admired by the Arab street for leading “resistance” to the United States and Israel, Iran has continued a steady decline in regional public opinion in large part because of its support for the Syrian regime and the growth of sectarianism in the Muslim world, new polling shows.
Data compiled by Zogby Research Services builds on prior surveys that revealed a collapse of support for Iran in most Arab countries in 2011 compared to 2006. That was when Iran was viewed favorably by many Arabs because of its support for Hezbollah in a month-long war with Israel and overall defiance of the West.
The new survey, broadened to include 20 countries including three non-Arab neighbors of Iran, finds a majority have a negative view of the Islamic Republic even though most oppose military action against Iran’s nuclear program.
“Syria is the nail in the coffin of Iran’s favorable rating in the region,” Jim Zogby, of Zogby Research Services and president of the Arab American Institute (AAI), said Tuesday [March 5] as the results were released at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a Washington think tank.
