Americans don't want a ground war against ISIS

Despite 70 percent of respondents flagging the terror group as the biggest threat in the region, 57 percent of Americans don’t want to see U.S. ground troops engaged in combat against the group should airstrikes fail. The reluctance to engage in a ground war against ISIS is predominately felt among Democrats and independents. Brookings found that 53 percent of Republicans would turn to U.S. troops if air strikes fail.

A good reason for American trepidation is a wide-spread belief that U.S .forces would be unable to deal a lasting blow to the Islamic State. Only 20 percent of those polled said the U.S. can defeat ISIS and “ensure they will not return.” The majority (56 percent) told Brookings that, much like the Taliban in Afghanistan, the U.S. could defeat ISIS but only temporarily.