A friend of mine recently posted on his blog that most people in the Arab world perceive Iran as a threat. It was a shock for me because for better or worse, the Iranian government is still very popular in the Middle East. Here’s a recent poll:
“Iran suffered mixed results. More people in 2011 identify Iran as one of the two biggest threats they face than ever before (only 18%), and, in contrast with 2010, a plurality (35%) of those polled now believe that if Iran acquires weapons of mass destruction it would be negative for the Middle East. On the other hand, Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, remains relatively popular, and most (64%) Arabs still feel that Iran has the right to its nuclear program and should not be pressured by the international community to halt it.”
