The Foreign Service Journal, June 2007

Daniel Yankelovich. Since Septem- ber 2006, the indicator has risen seven points to a score of 137, based on a random sampling of 1,013 adults over the age of 18 between Feb. 21 and March 4. The public’s frustration over Iraq has reached what the report’s authors view as a ‘tipping point,’ with the potential to color public opinion on other issues. Almost 75 percent of interviewees gave the U.S. a grade of C or below in the achievement of its goals in Iraq. And, according to the report, majority public opinion believes a withdrawal from Iraq will not threaten U.S. security. Meanwhile, the public’s belief that government can do “a lot” about a host of foreign policy issues is drop- ping, and public support for military solutions in many scenarios is virtual- ly off the table. Promoting democra- cy is a major U.S. goal, respondents concur, but fully 74 percent say that it is something other countries can only do on their own. As many as two- thirds of respondents say U.S. foreign policy is “on the wrong track.” Nearly six in 10 say they don’t think the gov- ernment tells them the truth on for- eign relations, up sharply in the past six months. Indeed, according to the report, Americans are in general wary — and weary. Tired of a war experienced primarily through media coverage, Americans nevertheless see first-hand the effects of an international com- munity widely opposed to U.S. actions in Iraq and elsewhere. Conse- quently, these same Americans worry very much about their security. Public Agenda is a nonpartisan research organization founded in 1975 by Daniel Yankelovich, a social scientist and author, and former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. For the full report, go to www.public agenda.org . — Margaret E. MacFarland, Editorial Intern 12 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 0 7 Site of the Month: www.besthistorysites.net Here is an award-winning portal that will engage general history buffs as well as history teachers and their students. Best of History Web Sites contains annotated links to over 1,200 history-related Web sites that have been screened for quality, accuracy and usefulness. Ranked number one for “history Web sites” by Google, the site receives more than 112,000 visitors per month. It is not hard to see why. The site pro- vides quick, convenient and reliable access to a variety of excellent history-ori- ented resources. The links are organized in broad categories — e.g., prehisto- ry, early modern Europe, art history and oral history — as well as by function- ality — e.g., the best sites for lesson plans/activities and the best sites for research. Each category is further broken down by topics and periods: in American history, for instance, links are grouped under six different topics and 19 discrete periods. Best of History Web Sites was created by Thomas Daccord, a history and technology teacher at the Noble & Greenough School in Dedham, Mass. An innovator in educational technology, he is also president of the Center for Teaching History with Technology, which was established to help history edu- cators integrate technology into their curricula. — Susan Maitra, Senior Editor C Y B E R N O T E S