Introduction

Hello all,
   My name is Phil Brown, and I am a senior in political science. My primary areas of interest are comparative politics, particularly in Russia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. The issue I have selected to blog about is the "War on Terror" which encompasses US military action in Iraq and Afghanistan following the September 11th attacks, as well as many other aid, advisory, and combat missions being carried out by US agencies and contractors overseas. The main reason that public opinion related to the War of Terror is important to me is that many of my friends have or currently have served in combat operations overseas, including several who lost their lives. Before coming to ISU, I was formerly a Sergeant in the US Army, and was involved in both the occupation of Iraq and the administration of the first elections there in 2005. While I would like to say I supported and still support the objectives of our missions overseas, in all honesty I have many doubts as to our potential for success. The goal of this blog is to explore the opinion of the american public on these matters and to examine the shifts that have come about in the past nine years of war. I will attempt to find out what impact these operations have had on opinions of the United States abroad, particularly in the Middle East.