The survey conducted by the research company ICM, commissioned by Sputnik News Agency, asked almost 3,000 people across Great Britain, France and Germany whether they welcome airstrikes on positions controlled by ISIL. 65% of Britons said that they were in favour of such airstrikes with 21% were against them, while just 48% of French people also supported such a move. About a third of French respondents were against participation and 19% had no answer. Conversely in Germany, which has so far ruled out the possibility of participating in airstrikes but is offering military training assistance in Iraq, more than 61% of respondents were against this move. Moreover, just 35% of German respondents were in favour of airstrikes and only 4% didn't know. Overall, combining all three countries, exactly half of the Europeans were in favour of airstrikes, 38% were against and 12% weren't sure.
In Britain, public opinion towards intervention in both Syria and Iraq against ISIL has shifted markedly in recent months, due to the growing threat posed by the militant group. In August 2013 Parliament rejected any possible military action by British forces against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, defeating a government motion by 285 votes to 272. However, in October, MPs lent their support to British participation in air strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq, voting overwhelmingly in favour of intervention 524-43. This followed a string of murders of British and American hostages carried out by members of IS; and the persecution of thousands of people from the Yazidi population which amounts to a virtual genocide.
In September, Prime Minister David Cameron authorised combat missions by Tornado jets in Iraq; armed reaper drones and a spy plane are also preparing to fly surveillance and reconnaissance missions in Syrian airspace. But Mr Cameron is treading carefully over this issue, keen to avoid a repeat of last year's rejected vote and unsure whether to push for full-scale military intervention.
Britain is participating in airstrikes in Iraq, but as of yet has not followed the United States in doing this in Syria. In October, Britain's foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, said that the UK has "not ruled out" air strikes to target ISIL forces in Syria, but insisted that this would require parliamentary approval. Chris Doyle, director of the Council of Arab-British Understanding, said that Mr Cameron would tread cautiously before considering air strikes in this region. "There has clearly been a transformation [of public opinion], brought about in part by the brutal activities of ISIS and in particular, the beheadings of American and British citizens. So the chances are that the government would certainly like to see an expanded operation whereby Britain is involved in military airstrikes in Syria," he said. "It's quite clear that David Cameron is not prepared to authorise strikes within Syria without Parliamentary approval and without the approval of the Labour Party. He does not want to get into a situation whereby Parliament rejects the use of military force in Syria, as it did just over a year ago."
According to the ICM poll, support for ‘boots on the ground' participation is more varied. Over half of Britons (53%), support some form of military operation by ground forces, with 35% against and 12% unsure. However, in Germany the mood is very much against such a move, with three quarters of those polled saying they'd be against German boots on the ground in Iraq and Syria, a fifth were in favour and just 5% didn't know. In France it was more mixed, 41% were in favour of this, 38% were against and 21% didn't know. Overall, just under half of Europeans opposed boots on the ground in Iraq and Syria.
Marie Breen-Smyth, professor of international politics at the University of Surrey said that although public interest in tackling ISIL has grown as time has gone on, it's unlikely that this will lead to ground operations. "The brutal and dramatic scenes of beheadings that the public have been exposed to recently have led to feelings about ISIS running high," she said. "However, in the cold light of the outcomes of intervention in the form of boots on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq, more considered public support for such intervention in Syria is likely to be harder to sustain."
Interestingly, 60% of the Europeans polled said they were afraid of potential repercussions because of their country's participation in military operations against ISIL, and that the threat posed by the extremists to their own shores will now be amplified. In Germany, 68% of respondents agree that there is a growing threat of retaliation by militants, while in Britain 66% are concerned about a terrorist attack on UK soil because of the military intervention. In France just 45% of the population are worried about this.
ISIL wants to build its own caliphate ruled by Sharia law, after seizing large parts of Syria and northern Iraq. It has driven out religious minorities from their homes and has allegedly carried out mass killings of non-Sunni Muslims. This new poll seems to suggest that in Britain there is a growing appetite for military intervention in both Iraq and Syria to tackle the threat posed by ISIL. However, it's clear that most Germans are keen to avoid any involvement right now.
