What should U.S.'s role in the Middle East be?

• Position: Opinion Polls - Brief article

Some 49% of Americans think the U.S.'s involvement in the Middle East is doing more harm than good in the region, according to a Marist College Institute for Public Opinion poll commissioned by PBS's WGBH Boston (Mass.). Despite the proportion of Americans who perceive a harmful effect of U.S. presence in the region, there is little consensus about the appropriate level of American military intervention.

Twenty-six percent of U.S. residents feel the American presence is doing more good than harm; 25% are unsure. Attitudes differ based on generation and political party. Of Millennials, 56% are in the "more harm" category; 33% of Gen X are unsure. When it comes to the extent of the America's role in the Middle East, 46% report the U.S. either should increase its military presence (23%), or keep it at its current levels (23%). In contrast, 39% of U.S. residents believe the nation either should decrease...