Today, more than 20 years after it was launched, the US war in Iraq is widely viewed as a destructive debacle that achieved little. But that hindsight obscures the fact that, more than a year after it began, the war was still relatively popular in the United States.

When the US invaded in March 2003, close to 70% of Americans supported it, according to CBS. By September 2004, US forces were dying, the war was turning into a quagmire and, earlier in the year, US troops’ abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib had exposed the world to disturbing images of brutality.

Yet 18 months after the invasion, 54% of Americans still said the US did the right thing by going to war in Iraq. Two months later, then-US President George W. Bush won reelection.

Not so the current war with Iran. Polls show that the decision to launch airstrikes on the Islamic Republic is deeply unpopular in the United States, with just a quarter of the country supporting it. Even among Republicans, who generally back US President Donald Trump’s policies, the figure is a tepid 55%.

Add on that Trump hasn’t presented a clear rationale for the war, or outlined what would constitute success, or defined how long it might last, or said definitively whether American ground troops will get involved, or executed a plan to evacuate Americans from the region. All in all, it’s hard to imagine the war gaining popularity in the US or putting Trump in a stronger position to govern for the rest of his term.

The picture in Israel could hardly be more different.

Surveys in Israel have found that north of 80% Israelis support this war. One poll said that even among opposition voters who are generally vehement critics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, approval for the war was at 77%. Majorities report trust in the security establishment, say they understand the goals of the war, and say it should continue until the........

© The Times of Israel