As concern mounts about the Syrian government's possible use of chemical weapons against its own people, publics in the Middle East – especially the Lebanese – are extremely worried about violence spreading to neighboring countries, according to a new survey of 12 countries, including seven in the region, from the Pew Research Center. Nonetheless, the survey, conducted before news emerged of alleged use of chemical agents by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, found little regional support for Western or Arab countries sending arms and military supplies to anti-government groups in Syria. And there is even greater opposition among American and European publics to such indirect Syrian involvement by their governments. A more recent Pew Research poll of the American public finds that hard evidence Damascus has engaged in chemical warfare would only lead to a modest increase in American public support for an allied military effort in Syria. The survey, conducted from March 3 to April 7, 2013 among 11,771 people in 12 countries, also finds: . Views of Assad: There is little public backing for Bashar al-Assad from the mostly Sunni Arab publics in the Middle East. Only the Shia in Lebanon (91%) have a favorable view of him. . Bordering Countries: The worry of violence spreading from Syria to neighboring countries is particularly prevalent in predominantly Muslim countries that share a border with Syria, notably Lebanon and Jordan. Middle Eastern nations slightly further afield are only marginally less concerned. . Arming the Rebels: Populations in five of the six countries in the region that were surveyed oppose Americans or Europeans supplying the Syrian rebels with weapons. About half of Jordanians (53%) support American or European military assistance for the Syrian opposition. Similarly, only the Jordanians (65%) and Lebanese Sunnis (63%) back Arabs arming the rebels. At the same time, publics in the United States, Western Europe and Turkey expressed little support for their country sending arms and military supplies to the rebels. . Russia: The Russian government, long an ally of the Assad regime and a vocal opponent of outside intervention in the Syrian civil war, can claim little backing for its policy from its own people. Just 27% of Russians approve of Moscow's support of the Syrian government. Most Russians (52%) have no opinion on the issue or refuse to answer the question. For the full survey, go to http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/05/01/widespread-middle-east-fears-that-syrian-violence-will-spread/. This survey is for immediate release and is available at the Pew Research Center website at http://www.pewresearch.org. ** Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan source of data and analysis. It does not take advocacy positions. Its Global Attitudes Project conducts public opinion surveys around the world on a broad array of subjects ranging from people's assessments of their own lives to their views about the current state of the world and important issues of the day. BN
