By Brigitte L. Nacos The latest edition of The Washington Monthly carries an interesting article on the underlying softness of public support for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda in Muslim countries. Based on surveys in Pakistan , Saudi Arabia , Indonesia , and several other Muslim countries, Kenneth Ballen concludes that although there is a high level of support for bin Laden in the Muslim world, this support is soft and can be made softer still with the right policies. Ballen is the president of the non-profit organization Terror Free Tomorrow . Posted on the organization’s web site , the polls reflect significant resentment toward the United States but also the potential for a dramatic turnaround in anti-American sentiments without drastic policy adjustments. Take the example of Pakistan , where 80% of respondents in June of this year said that al-Qaeda’s top goal was standing up to America. A total of 57% agreed with that objective. The same survey revealed that one-third of Pakistanis had a favorable opinion of bin Laden and al-Qaeda. But when asked what would improve their opinion of the United States , the vast majority considered educational scholarships and visas to the U.S. , free trade between the two countries, American disaster relief, medical aid, and resources to build schools and train teachers as measures to improve America ’s esteem in Pakistan . The most surprising result was that a larger percentage of bin Laden support ...
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