Jim Lobe

*WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (IPS) - A new survey of more than 100 U.S. foreign
policy experts -- both Republicans and Democrats, as well as retired
military and intelligence professionals -- has found deep pessimism over
the "global war on terror" and even deeper pessimism over the war in Iraq. *

According to the survey, the second in the last six months carried out
by Foreign Policy magazine and the Centre for American Progress, two out
of three foreign policy experts oppose President George W. Bush's plans
to increase troop levels in Iraq, while nearly nine out of 10 say the
war there is undermining U.S. national security.

Overall, three out of four respondents disagreed with assertion that
Washington "is winning the war on terror", while 81 percent said the
world is becoming "more dangerous" to the United States and its people.

The survey also found wide, although narrowing differences compared to
six months ago, between expert opinion and the views of the general
public on a range of issues related to Iraq and the war on terrorism.
Experts were significantly more pessimistic that the public at large and
voiced considerably less confidence in the Bush administration's
performance.