A new Gallup poll shows that the American view on who is winning the war on terror did not improve despite the London-Washington et al success against the recent airliner bombing plot. Currently about 35 percent of respondents believe the US and its allies are winning the war, compared to 44 percent who say neither side is winning and 18 percent who say the terrorists have the upper hand. A look at Gallup’s trend line (click on box) on this question, back to October 2001 for the start of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan indicates that American attitudes only shift more positively toward the US and its allies during major military offensives, but soon recedes.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.