4 ms·

The initial invasion in 2001 had 100% support Congress and IIRC 80%+ popular support. So yes, not invading was unthinkable.

by em500 5y ago

YeGoblynQueenne 5y ago
That's a very heavy accusation to lob at the US people I think. Who says this and where does the 80% number come from? And why would the US people want their country to invade a country on the other side of the world, that was no threat to them and was clearly not capable of defending itself against the might of the US army? Why would the US people want their country to invade anyone? And 80% of them? This I find very hard to believe. Maybe the "80% support" was for something else entirely, e.g. killing Bin Laden or destroying Al Qaeda, rather than invading Afghanistan?
- em500 5y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_public_opinion_on_the_war_in_Afghanistan#International_public_opinion_compared_to_American_public_opinion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_public_opinion_o... https://web.archive.org/web/20140203074515/http://www.aei.org/files/2008/07/24/20050805_terror0805.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20140203074515/http://www.aei.or... (p.58: "Do you approve or disapprove of the current U.S. military action in Afghanistan?")
  - koheripbal 5y ago
    better source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/9994/public-opinion-war-afghanistan.aspx https://news.gallup.com/poll/9994/public-opinion-war-afghani...
- koheripbal 5y ago
  https://news.gallup.com/poll/9994/public-opinion-war-afghanistan.aspx https://news.gallup.com/poll/9994/public-opinion-war-afghani... 88% approval in the US in Oct 2001.
  - YeGoblynQueenne 5y ago
    Thanks, also to the other users who linked to sources. All very disappointing.
- vlan0 5y ago
  There are likely many factors. In terms of civilian supporting the invastion, or at the very least, being neutral on invading was very much a popular opinion. Patriotism was extremely high following the attacks, and whether it was correct or not, many folks would see not supporting the invasion as unpatriotic. So likely do to social norms and group dynamics, it was unpopular to be against the war. It might be hard to understand for folks that didn't live in the US during that time. A time when TV and print media were very much king. To paint the picture more clearly. Imagine a 24-hour news cycle on nearly every single TV channel. Even non-news channels discontinued normal programing to broadcast one of the big news stations. Every newspaper has massive headlines covering the content. For days and weeks there was no escaping the media barrage. It definitely warped folks perception. Bonus: Anthrax scare directly after didn't help either. https://www.npr.org/2011/02/15/93170200/timeline-how-the-anthrax-terror-unfolded https://www.npr.org/2011/02/15/93170200/timeline-how-the-ant...
  - YeGoblynQueenne 5y ago
    So a kind of mass indoctrination to a militaristic concept of "patriotism", as I understand it? A concept that is not satisfied unless someone is invaded. Thanks for explaining.

The initial invasion in 2001 had 100% support Congress and IIRC 80%+ popular support. So yes, not invading was unthinkable.

by em500 5y ago

The initial invasion in 2001 had 100% support Congress and IIRC 80%+ popular support. So yes, not invading was unthinkable.

YeGoblynQueenne 5y ago

That's a very heavy accusation to lob at the US people I think. Who says this and where does the 80% number come from? And why would the US people want their country to invade a country on the other side of the world, that was no threat to them and was clearly not capable of defending itself against the might of the US army? Why would the US people want their country to invade anyone? And 80% of them? This I find very hard to believe. Maybe the "80% support" was for something else entirely, e.g. killing Bin Laden or destroying Al Qaeda, rather than invading Afghanistan?

em500 5y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_public_opinion_on_the_war_in_Afghanistan#International_public_opinion_compared_to_American_public_opinion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_public_opinion_o... https://web.archive.org/web/20140203074515/http://www.aei.org/files/2008/07/24/20050805_terror0805.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20140203074515/http://www.aei.or... (p.58: "Do you approve or disapprove of the current U.S. military action in Afghanistan?")
- koheripbal 5y ago
  better source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/9994/public-opinion-war-afghanistan.aspx https://news.gallup.com/poll/9994/public-opinion-war-afghani...
koheripbal 5y ago
https://news.gallup.com/poll/9994/public-opinion-war-afghanistan.aspx https://news.gallup.com/poll/9994/public-opinion-war-afghani... 88% approval in the US in Oct 2001.
- YeGoblynQueenne 5y ago
  Thanks, also to the other users who linked to sources. All very disappointing.
vlan0 5y ago
There are likely many factors. In terms of civilian supporting the invastion, or at the very least, being neutral on invading was very much a popular opinion. Patriotism was extremely high following the attacks, and whether it was correct or not, many folks would see not supporting the invasion as unpatriotic. So likely do to social norms and group dynamics, it was unpopular to be against the war. It might be hard to understand for folks that didn't live in the US during that time. A time when TV and print media were very much king. To paint the picture more clearly. Imagine a 24-hour news cycle on nearly every single TV channel. Even non-news channels discontinued normal programing to broadcast one of the big news stations. Every newspaper has massive headlines covering the content. For days and weeks there was no escaping the media barrage. It definitely warped folks perception. Bonus: Anthrax scare directly after didn't help either. https://www.npr.org/2011/02/15/93170200/timeline-how-the-anthrax-terror-unfolded https://www.npr.org/2011/02/15/93170200/timeline-how-the-ant...
- YeGoblynQueenne 5y ago
  So a kind of mass indoctrination to a militaristic concept of "patriotism", as I understand it? A concept that is not satisfied unless someone is invaded. Thanks for explaining.