It’s always dangerous to try to assess the long-term political implications of an event as fast-moving and fast-changing as the situation with Iran and Israel. But there are some fundamental realities that are likely to remain true, regardless of the twists and turns of events over these next few days and weeks.
1. Americans Are Skeptical of Any US Involvement in the Middle EastAlmost 25 years after Americans rallied behind President George W. Bush’s push to invade Iraq and Afghanistan, Americans are now deeply worried and wary about any U.S. engagement in that part of the world. Even before the Biden Administration's chaotic troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, most Americans thought the U.S. had failed in achieving its goals in the war. Two years after the 2021 pull-out, two-thirds of Americans said the war was not worth fighting. Ending “forever wars” wasn’t just a popular slogan for candidate Donald Trump, it also accurately reflected the mood of the electorate.
Polls taken in the immediate aftermath of the U.S. strikes find that the level of skepticism and worry about American involvement in
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