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CNN (2/18/19

Ken Ballen’s latest comentary on CNN, co-authored with Lee Hamilton, is featured in a lead on its website. For the commentary, click here.


The Huffington Post (10/16/14) 

“In a particularly powerful CNN article that highlights one ‘relapsed’ terrorist who had once been heralded as a model of reform, Ken Ballen makes the persuasive case that the only real solution to the violence we're witnessing through ISIS is for leaders within the Islamic religion itself to diminish the attractiveness of violent warfare for religious purists, thereby winning the hearts and minds of Muslims with a vision for peace as the most authentic expression of Islam.”


CNN, MSNBC and
 Al Jazeera America (11/19/13 - 8/27/14) 

For TFT President Ken Ballen’s latest interviews, click here.

CNN (2/20/14) 

TFT President Ken Ballen was featured on Wolf Blitzer’s Situation Room.  Because of his exclusive interviews with Islamist militants, Ballen discussed what led young men to become radicalized and the continuing threat to the United States from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

New York Times (1/8/14

In a front-page article on Saudi participation in the Syrian war, TFT President Ken Ballen and his book, “Terrorists in Love” are featured in discussing the jihadist mind-set.

New York Times (6/16/13) 

“Ken Ballen, the author of the book “Terrorists in Love,” found one of the first suicide bombers in Iraq to survive his attack… [and] elicited other fascinating confessions [including] a Saudi militant who was from a prominent religious family and who had a passionate love affair with his male first cousin.”

CNN (4/25-26/13) 

TFT President Ken Ballen was featured in numerous interviews on CNN and CNN International discussing the Boston Marathon bombers. For one clip, click here.

CNN (4/24/13) 

In another featured commentary on CNN, TFT President Ken Ballen exposes the appeal of Islamic radicalism and discusses why the Boston Marathon bombers may have been attracted to the cause. For the commentary, click here.

MSNBC, “All In,” with Chris Hayes (4/23/13) 

TFT President Ken Ballen is the lead guest on the Chris Hayes show, discussing the implications of the Boston Marathon attacks. For the interview, click here.

Current TV, “The War Room” (4/22/13) 

TFT President Ken Ballen is interviewed on the motivations of the Boston Marathon bombers. For the interview, click here.

Huffington Post (12/05/12) 

Ken Ballen was featured on HuffPost Live discussing the impact of American humanitarian leadership around the world. “The U.S. should not be blamed for global warming and climate change…bullying the U.S. by the international community is not the answer. America can take the lead in humanitarian and other actions to enhance our security.”


Huffington Post (9/20/12)

“Perhaps the best-documented recent example of the power of foreign assistance to influence public opinion was the response of the Indonesian people, the world's most populous Muslim country, after the U.S. provided hundreds of millions of dollars toward relief from the tsunami of 2004. In a series of nationwide surveys by Terror Free Tomorrow, two thirds of all Indonesians changed their opinion of the United States favorably because of the American response to the tsunami, with the highest percentage among those under age 30.”

CNN (5/11/12)

TFT President Ken Ballen was interviewed on Wolf Blitzer’s Situation Room. Featured because of his extensive interviews with Saudi militants, Ballen said, in part, that having a mole inside Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is not going to deter this group. Now that the mole operation has been revealed, future Saudi infiltration of the group is going to become much more difficult. In that way, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula may be more of a threat now after this operation.

CNN (2/16/12)

TFT President Ken Ballen assisted in bringing a voice of the Syrian resistance to the world, in Ballen’s ongoing series of CNN commentaries. For the commentary, click here.

CNN (2/1/12)

TFT President Ken Ballen’s latest co-authored CNN commentary is on the CNN website. Yet another in Ballen’s CNN series featured on the crisis in Syria. For the commentary, click here.

CNN (1/18/12)

In another featured commentary on CNN, TFT President Ken Ballen and his co-author examine the increasing bloodshed and repression in Syria, and how the United States can respond most effectively. For the commentary, click here.

Terrorists in Love: The Real Lives of Islamic Radicals—New Terror Free Tomorrow Book (10/04/11)

TFT President Ken Ballen’s new book has been chosen by Publisher’s Weekly as one of the top ten politics books that will be released in the Fall (2011), calling it “an unprecedented and unusual look at Islamic radicalism.” To view the book’s website, click here.


CNN (4/15/11)

TFT President Ken Ballen’s latest co-authored CNN commentary is featured on the CNN website. Based in part on TFT’s on the ground contacts from Syria, the piece helps expose the true nature of the recent protests and the American response. For the commentary, click here.

CNN (9/30-10/5/10)

TFT President Ken Ballen’s co-authored commentary on CNN is the most commented upon opinion article on the CNN website. Based on TFT’s unprecedented joint survey of Pakistan’s remote tribal areas, the new research helps explain the success of the Taliban and Al Qaeda’s sanctuary there—a safe haven that has had devastating consequences for American soldiers in Afghanistan. For the full piece, click here. Mr. Ballen also provided commentary across Pakistani TV.

New York Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, Council on Foreign Relations, The Huffington Post, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, Washington Times, Seattle Post Intelligencer, Arab News, The Atlantic, CBS News, The Nation Pakistan, Express Tribune and other Pakistani newspapers, as well as other Associated Press and Reuters wire reports (10/1-22/10)

“Most people in Pakistan's tribal regions strongly oppose U.S. missile strikes in their territory, with nearly half believing they kill mainly civilians, according to a rare opinion poll that may raise doubts about a key plank of the Obama administration's anti-terror strategy. Despite their dislike of the United States, most surveyed also expressed resentment of the al-Qaida and Taliban fighters the missiles are targeting.” For the full article, click here.

CNN;  New York Times; Christian Science Monitor (8/18-21/10)

TFT President Ken Ballen’s commentary on CNN is second most popular opinion piece on the CNN website. Based on TFT’s work, Ballen argues that the United States must respond more forcefully to the current crisis in Pakistan. For the full piece and a related story in the Monitor, click hereThe New York Times cited and linked to Terror Free Tomorrow polling  in Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake and Indonesia after the tsunami to show that American relief changed public opinion favorably toward the US in both countries.


CNN (2/24-26/10)


TFT President Ken Ballen’s commentary on CNN is one of the top four stories. For the full piece, click here.


CNN (1/8/10)
 

“Ken Ballen is president of Terror Free Tomorrow, a nonprofit research institute….Ballen, a former federal prosecutor with more than 20 years in law enforcement and international relations, argues that mixing U.S. intelligence with information from foreign governments could get messy.” For the report, click here.

CNN: Situation Room, American Morning and other CNN programs; ABC News (12/31/09-1/16/10)

Interview and news report featuring TFT President Ken Ballen.  For the full CNN report, click here.

Financial Times (11/20-25/09)

TFT President Ken Ballen authored the leading commentary for almost one week on the prestigious FT website and newspaper. “Inside Mullah Omar’s Dreams,” based on exclusive interviews of the Taliban, offers a unique insight into their mindset. “The Taliban leader’s actions are often determined by night visions, making the future of fighting in Afghanistan hard to predict,” writes Ballen. For the complete commentary, click here.

Boston Globe (9/13/09)

“Indonesia has pursued a novel strategy against militant groups. The president has made a strong public case that terrorists threaten average Indonesians, not just the West, [and] to turn opinion against militants. In a poll of Indonesians by the organization Terror Free Tomorrow, 74 percent said that terrorist attacks are ‘never justified.’”

CNN, BBC, Washington Post (6/15/09)

In featured commentary, TFT President Ken Ballen, with Patrick Doherty of the New America Foundation, analyze our preelection nationwide polling of Iran. For the full commentary, click here.

New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Houston Chronicle, Newsday, Seattle Post Intelligencer, The Atlantic Online, The Washington Note, CBS NEWS, BBC, Associated Press wire reports and Persian media and blogs inside Iran (6/8-9/09)

“Iranians continue to strongly want their country to adopt democratic institutions like free elections and a free press, a rare poll of Iranian citizens showed Monday. There also remains a widespread willingness to stage unconditional negotiations with the U.S. following nearly three decades of diplomatic estrangement between the two countries. The poll was conducted by Terror Free Tomorrow, a bipartisan group that tries to undermine support for terrorism.”

CNN (6/8/09)

An analysis of the policy significance of Terror Free Tomorrow’s new survey is featured by CNN. For the full commentary and a related CNN News report, click here.

New York Times (6/7/09)

“Osama bin Laden may still be a menace to society, but his image is no longer on T-shirts peddled in the casbahs. A few years ago he could have beaten the king of Saudi Arabia in a fair election; now, according to a poll by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based research group, 88 percent of Saudis want their government to crack down on Qaeda followers in their land.”

Washington Post
(2/15/09); New York Times (2/25/09)

In a featured Post article, Peter Bergen and Katherine Tiedemann analyze “the most important trends” in Pakistan and Afghanistan, relying on Terror Free Tomorrow research. The full findings can also be found at the New America Foundation website. Bruce Riedel, chairman of President Obama’s strategic review of Afghanistan and Pakistan, also relied on TFT research, in an interview with the Council on Foreign Relations, quoted in the New York Times. “Polling in Pakistan shows that a majority of Pakistanis blame America for the country’s internal violence. Any time that you are outpolling India as the bad guy in Pakistan, you’re in deep, deep trouble,” Riedel said.


CNN (1/23-24/09)

Interview and news report featuring TFT President Ken Ballen. For full report and related commentary, click here.

Washington Post (9/9/08)

“Pakistan's new president, Asif Ali Zardari, assumes office at a time of great political turmoil, intense terrorist violence, economic weakness, and deteriorating relations with neighboring India and Afghanistan. Zardari's foreign policy challenges are daunting. His vow to continue his predecessor's counterterrorism partnership with the United States will face new hurdles after revelations that the United States staged ground force attacks on Pakistani soil this month….This could make it even more difficult for the Pakistani government to balance its domestic political concerns with demands placed on it by Washington. An opinion poll conducted in May by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based nonprofit group, found that 74 percent of Pakistanis opposed U.S. military action against al-Qaeda and the Taliban.”

USA Today
(8/22/08)


“The vast majority of Pakistanis want their government to reach a truce with the Taliban fighters battling security forces in rugged tribal lands along the Afghan border. A poll by the U.S. nonprofit organization Terror Free Tomorrow found that 58% of Pakistanis want their government to negotiate with Taliban fighters inside Pakistan; just 19% want the army to keep fighting them. Public opinion matters more than ever in Pakistan since military strongman Pervez Musharraf resigned as president Monday, leaving decisions in the hands of elected politicians. Pakistanis are deeply suspicious of U.S. motives. The Terror Free Tomorrow poll found that 52% of Pakistanis hold the United States responsible for the violence in their country; just 11% blame hated next-door neighbor India; and 4% blame the Pakistani Taliban themselves.”


CNN (9/30-10/5/10)

TFT President Ken Ballen’s co-authored commentary on CNN is the most commented upon opinion article on the CNN website. Based on TFT’s unprecedented joint survey of Pakistan’s remote tribal areas, the new research helps explain the success of the Taliban and Al Qaeda’s sanctuary there—a safe haven that has had devastating consequences for American soldiers in Afghanistan. For the full piece, click here. Mr. Ballen also provided commentary across Pakistani TV.

New York Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, Council on Foreign Relations, The Huffington Post, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, Washington Times, Seattle Post Intelligencer, Arab News, The Atlantic, CBS News, The Nation Pakistan, Express Tribune and other Pakistani newspapers, as well as other Associated Press and Reuters wire reports (10/1-22/10)

“Most people in Pakistan's tribal regions strongly oppose U.S. missile strikes in their territory, with nearly half believing they kill mainly civilians, according to a rare opinion poll that may raise doubts about a key plank of the Obama administration's anti-terror strategy. Despite their dislike of the United States, most surveyed also expressed resentment of the al-Qaida and Taliban fighters the missiles are targeting.” For the full article, click here.

CNN;  New York Times; Christian Science Monitor (8/18-21/10)

TFT President Ken Ballen’s commentary on CNN is second most popular opinion piece on the CNN website. Based on TFT’s work, Ballen argues that the United States must respond more forcefully to the current crisis in Pakistan. For the full piece and a related story in the Monitor, click hereThe New York Times cited and linked to Terror Free Tomorrow polling  in Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake and Indonesia after the tsunami to show that American relief changed public opinion favorably toward the US in both countries.

CNN (2/24/10)

New York Times, Council on Foreign Relations, Time, The Guardian, Washington Times, The National, CNN, C-SPAN, The Independent, Bloomberg and front page coverage in Dawn, The Nation, Daily Times, GEO TV, Dawn TV and other leading Pakistani media (6/21-7/7/08)

“Pakistanis favor negotiating with Taliban militants rather than fighting them and they hold the United States most responsible for violence in the country, according to a new poll. It was conducted by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based nonprofit group that studies extremism and helps form policies to counter it. The poll showed strong public support for Pakistan’s new policy of seeking peace with Islamic militants despite American concerns that a letup in military pressure will allow the Taliban and Al Qaeda to operate freely in the tribal regions along the Afghan border. Three-quarters of respondents said they wanted President Pervez Musharraf to resign or be impeached. The poll surveyed 1,306 adult Pakistanis in interviews between May 25 and June 1. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus three percentage points.” For full editorials/stories, click here.


Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, International Herald Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, Newsday, San Jose Mercury News, Houston Chronicle, Orlando Sentinel, Seattle Post Intelligencer, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Forbes, CNN, ABC NEWS, FOX NEWS, and Associated Press wire reports throughout the world (6/20-21/08)

“Pakistanis favor negotiating with Taliban militants rather than fighting them and hold their U.S. allies in the war on terror most responsible for violence in the country, according to a poll released Friday. The results show strong public support for the new government's policy of seeking peace with the militants, despite U.S. concerns that a letup in military pressure will allow the Taliban and al-Qaida to operate freely in the lawless tribal regions along the Afghan border. The poll by the Washington-based group Terror Free Tomorrow also shows that three-quarters of respondents want U.S.-backed President Pervez Musharraf to resign or be impeached and that the popularity of his chief critic, Nawaz Sharif, is soaring.” For the full article, click here.

Financial Times (6/10/08)

“Evidence has been mounting that the organisation responsible for the September 11 attacks has suffered some serious reversals. Al-Qaeda tactics do appear to have contributed to a fall in popular support in places even beyond Iraq. According to a public opinion survey carried out in December by Terror Free Tomorrow, a not-for-profit group seeking to establish why people support or oppose extremism, fewer than one in 10 Saudis had a favourable opinion of al-Qaeda and 88 per cent approved of the Saudi military and police pursuing al-Qaeda fighters. A poll conducted by the same organisation in Pakistan in January showed support for al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Mr bin Laden and other radical Islamist groups had dropped by half from the previous August.”

 Los Angeles Times (6/9/08)

“The United States cannot lead if it is hated. If Americans still aspire to remake the world as a more democratic, more prosperous place with fewer terrorists and nuclear weapons states… we must set about earning back the goodwill of nations. The tragic global hunger crisis, which has swelled the ranks of the world's most miserable, provides the U.S. with a golden opportunity to do good while rebuilding its shattered global leadership credentials. Polling by the nonprofit group Terror Free Tomorrow indicates that direct humanitarian aid improves the perception of the United States even among Pakistani Muslims who express support for Al Qaeda. Skeptics say that the public opinion bounce from humanitarian aid is short-lived. But the data show the reverse: Nearly three years after the massive tsunami relief effort, almost 60% of Indonesians said the aid had made them favorable toward the U.S.”

International Herald Tribune (6/15/08)

“Even people who say they dislike America want to have strong bilateral relations with the U.S, and attitudes are fluid. A highly regarded study last year by Terror Free Tomorrow, for example, found that 40 percent of respondents in Saudi Arabia had a positive view of the United States, compared with just 11 percent 18 months earlier.”

The New Republic, The Independent (UK)  (6/11/08)

“In Saudi Arabia, only 10 percent now have a favorable view of Al Qaeda, according to a December poll by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based think tank. Following a wave of suicide attacks in Pakistan in the past year, Terror Free Tomorrow also found that support for suicide operations amongst Pakistanis has dropped to 9 percent (it was 33 percent five years ago), while favorable views of bin Laden in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, around where he is believed to be hiding, have plummeted to 4 percent from 70 percent since August 2007.”

Washington Post; Newsweek (5/27/08)

Citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s most recent survey of Pakistan, Fareed Zakaria writes that: “The more people are exposed to the jihadists' tactics and world view, the less they support them. In Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, where Al Qaeda has bases, support for Osama bin Laden plummeted from 70 percent in August 2007 to 4 percent in January 2008…Its strategic implications are critically important because historical evidence suggests that terrorist campaigns that lose public support will sooner or later be abandoned or defeated." Zakaria also cites “a well-researched, independent analysis of the data relating to terrorism, released last week by Canada's Simon Fraser University,” which relies on TFT’s data for its findings.

Chicago Tribune (6/3/08)

Citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s most recent survey of Iran, the Editorial Board concludes: “A few months ago a public opinion poll was released that probably froze the blood of Khamenei. It showed that almost 9 out of 10 Iranian voters want to directly elect their top political leader in a free vote. They don't want a leader for life. They demand accountability. Who knows what could happen if Iranians get the notion that their country is heading, disastrously, in the wrong direction? Which it is.” 
 

Council on Foreign Relations (4/18/08)

In a special report on Al Qaeda, the Council once again, as in many other reports, relies on TFT surveys: “Recent events have turned Pakistanis against al-Qaeda and bin Laden. In a poll (PDF) released in February 2008, Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based nonprofit group, found that only 24 percent of Pakistanis had a favorable opinion of bin Laden in 2008 as compared to 46 percent in August 2007. Similarly, al-Qaeda’s popularity dropped from 33 percent to 18 percent.”

Los Angeles Times (4/13/08)

“Bin Laden's personal approval rating in Pakistan is plummeting. In a poll released in February, Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based nonprofit group, found that Bin Laden's popularity had fallen by half over just six months, to about 24%. In the Northwest Frontier Province, along the Afghan borderlands where he is most likely to be hiding, it fell into single digits. These souring attitudes are important because, in the past, hunts for terrorists hiding in Pakistan have almost always ended when a disillusioned (and generally greedy) local resident has dropped a dime on the fugitive for reward money. Now that a larger number of Pakistanis see Bin Laden as a nihilistic killer, the chances that such a walk-in informant will surface have grown. So have the odds that the Pakistani government will act on such information. … [S]triking at a time when the Al Qaeda leader's local popularity has collapsed reduces the domestic political risks.”

Washington Post (3/30/08)

“According to a recent poll by the anti-terrorism organization Terror Free Tomorrow, Pakistani support for the Taliban and al-Qaeda has fallen to all-time lows of 18 and 19 percent, respectively -- half what it was in a similar survey taken last summer.”

The Guardian (3/29/08)

“How about the results of a recent American survey by Terror Free Tomorrow, a non-partisan research organisation that boasts John McCain, Lee H Hamilton, William H Frist, and Thomas H Kean on its board? Satisfaction with Ahmadinejad's economic policies, the poll results show, has nearly doubled since last June: 42% now think that "economy is headed toward the right direction", up from 27% last June. Even in terms of inflation and unemployment, more Iranians now think Ahmadinejad's government is doing a good job, and 42% now think his policies "have succeeded in reducing unemployment and inflation", whereas in June only 33% thought so.”

Wall Street Journal (3/25/08)

“Even among Saudis, a recent survey by Terror Free Tomorrow finds that "less than one in ten Saudis have a favorable opinion of Al Qaeda, and 88 percent approve the Saudi military and police pursuing Al Qaeda fighters."

Daily Times (Pakistan) (3/17/08)

A feature article from one of Pakistan’s leading newspapers found that the Pakistani government had a plan to rig the Feb.18th vote, but that TFT’s public opinion poll helped to “definitely prevent the government from massive rigging.” According to the article, a senior government official with ties to Pakistani intelligence confirmed that “a plan to rig the elections was in the works,” but that the polling “created an atmosphere where there was no choice but to have free and fair elections.” The article also quotes one of the highest officials in President Musharraf’s own political party, who admitted that the polling “deter[ed] any state-sponsored manipulation.” For the full article, click
here.

Washington Post (3/9/08)

TFT’s pre-election survey of Iran is a lead feature story in the Sunday edition by senior diplomatic correspondent Robin Wright: “As Iran's brief election campaign for parliament heats up, a new public opinion poll shows that the vast majority of Iranians would like to directly elect their supreme leader in a free vote -- and be able to replace him.” For the full article, click
here.

The National Interest (3/14/08)

“A poll of Iranian public opinion released in mid-March by Terror Free Tomorrow and D3 Systems highlights both problems and opportunities for U.S. policy toward Iran. Much of the American news media focused on one result: that a majority of Iranians wanted to directly elect their country’s supreme leader (currently the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) and be able to replace that person in a subsequent election. That is an interesting and significant revelation, since it suggests widespread public support for expanded democracy. But even more important were the results concerning Iranian opinion on nuclear matters and relations with the United States.”

CNN (3/15/08)

“Iran is having an election, too. But unlike the primary season in the United States, Iranians do not support the ballot choices offered to them by the regime of the Islamic Republic. A new nationwide public opinion survey of Iran conducted by Terror Free Tomorrow and D3 Systems shows widespread disillusionment with the candidates running in the Parliamentary elections on March 14. When asked which candidates they plan on supporting - whether Reformists or Conservatives - a third of Iranians replied “neither,” while a quarter said they do not know. Only 8% said they would vote for the Conservatives; 22% for the Reformists.”

International Herald Tribune; Associated Press, UPI wire reports throughout the world (3/10--11/08)

“Opinion polls are rare in Iran. But in a poll released Sunday by a U.S. think tank Terror Free Tomorrow, 22 percent of respondents said they would vote for reformists, compared to 8 percent for conservatives. In a sign of the discontent with all sides, 36 percent said they would vote for neither and 26 percent said they didn't know who to vote for. The poll was conducted by phone with 1,001 Iranians across the country.”

Christian Science Monitor; CNN; The Economist; Roll Call (2/15-21/08)

President Musharraf of Pakistan said that the methods of Terror Free Tomorrow (TFT) and other polling organizations "have value in developed countries but not here." Perhaps because, as a leading independent Pakistani newspaper concluded, TFT polling helped make "rigging of the elections somewhat difficult." For the full commentary in the Christian Science Monitor and other editorials covering TFT’s pre-election survey of Pakistan, click here.


New York Times; Christian Science Monitor; Time Magazine; Council on Foreign Relations (2/14-15/08)

“A survey conducted by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based bipartisan group that seeks to reduce support for international terrorism, showed backing at 62 percent for the Pakistan Peoples Party and the faction of the Pakistan Muslim League led by the opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif. If the Taliban were on the ballot sheet, they would garner just 3 percent of the vote, and Al Qaeda only 1 percent, according to the poll. The face-to-face nationwide survey of more than 1,000 interviews was conducted in January with D3 Systems and the Pakistan Institute for Public Opinion and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.….The survey also found that 70% of Pakistanis wanting Musharraf to resign immediately….and that 58 percent of Pakistanis blame Musharraf , government-allied politicians, and government agencies for Bhutto’s death.”


USA Today, Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, International Herald Tribune, Guardian, Miami Herald, Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune,, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, Newsday, San Jose Mercury News, Houston Chronicle, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Seattle Post Intelligencer, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, Indianapolis Star, Boston Herald, Washington Times, San Diego Union Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Detroit Free Press, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Forbes, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, CBS NEWS, ABC NEWS, FOX NEWS, and Associated Press wire reports throughout the world (2/10--11/08)

“Sympathy for al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden and the Taliban has dropped sharply in Pakistan amid a wave of deadly violence, according to the results of a recent opinion poll. The survey, conducted last month for the U.S.-based Terror Free Tomorrow organization, also identified the party of assassinated opposition leader Benazir Bhutto as the country's most popular ahead of Feb. 18 elections, and said most Pakistanis want President Pervez Musharraf to quit. The poll suggests Pakistanis are looking to peaceful opposition groups after months of political turmoil and a wave of suicide attacks. According to the poll results only 24 percent of Pakistanis approved of bin Laden when the survey was conducted last month, compared with 46 percent during a similar survey in August.” For the full article, click here.

Washington Post, CNN, Reuters (2/11/08)

“Support in Pakistan for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has fallen from 46 percent in August to 24 percent now, according to a poll released Sunday. The survey, conducted by the U.S.-based nonprofit group Terror Free Tomorrow, found that the Taliban has experienced a similar drop, with support at 19 percent, half of what it was last summer.”

Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, International Herald Tribune, Guardian, Miami Herald, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, Newsday, San Jose Mercury News, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Minneapolis Star Tribune, , Fort Worth Star Telegram, Detroit Free Press, Forbes, and Associated Press wire reports throughout the world (2/11/08)

“A public opinion survey released over the weekend showed that opposition parties loyal to the late Benazir Bhutto and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were running strong, while support for groups linked to the president is fading. The survey, conducted last month by the U.S.-based Terror Free Tomorrow organization, found that 36.7% of those questioned said they would vote for Ms. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party in the Feb. 18 balloting. The PPP hopes to capitalize on a wave of sympathy after Ms. Bhutto was killed in a suicide bomb and gun attack at an election rally on Dec. 27. The survey said 25.3% planned to vote for Mr. Sharif's party, pushing the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Q into third place with just 12%. The combined support for the parties of Ms. Bhutto and Mr. Sharif was 39% in a similar survey in August, Terror Free Tomorrow said. The not-for-profit organization said the survey was based on interviews with 1,157 people across Pakistan during Jan. 19-29 and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.”

Pakistan Dawn, Pakistan Post, The News, Daily Times, Pakistan Observer, Pakistan Times, Pakistan Tribune, The Nation, The Pakistan Press Association, etc. (Front page news coverage throughout Pakistan: 2/10-11/08)

“The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is the country’s most popular party, while the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) lags far behind, according to a survey released ahead of the next week’s crucial elections. The survey, conducted last month by the US-based Terror Free Tomorrow organisation and released over the weekend, is the first since Benazir Bhutto was killed in a bomb and gun attack in December. The survey also found that sympathy for al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and the Taliban had dropped sharply among Pakistanis.”

The Atlantic Monthly (March 2008)

“Even in Saudi Arabia, according to a recent poll by the research organization Terror Free Tomorrow, only 15 percent of the population have a favorable view of Osama bin Laden, and 69 percent support stronger ties with the U.S. ”

International Herald Tribune (1/21/08)

Calling Terror Free Tomorrow’s survey of Iran “an act of bravery by ordinary citizens,” Azadeh Pourzand writes that, “After so many years of isolation, and despite the risk,” the survey at last gives the Iranian people themselves a voice. For the full editorial, click here.

Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Guardian, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, International Herald Tribune, Miami Herald, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, Newsday, San Jose Mercury News, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Seattle Post Intelligencer, Minneapolis Star Tribune, San Diego Union Tribune, Baltimore Sun, New York Sun, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Detroit Free Press, The Nation, Forbes, BBC, CBS NEWS, FOX NEWS, and Associated Press wire reports throughout the world (1/14-16/08)

“Saudi Arabia's warm official welcome for President Bush, the scion of a family with close ties to the kingdom's ruling family, masks his deep unpopularity among ordinary Saudis. A recent poll conducted by Terror Free Tomorrow, a bipartisan group whose goal is undermining world support for terrorism, found only 12 percent here view Bush positively — lower than Iran's president or even al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden — and more think warmly toward Iran than America. Forty percent have a favorable opinion of the U.S. — a lower rating than they gave China or Iran — though 69 percent want good relations with the United States. The poll of 1,004 Saudis, conducted in December, had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.”

San Francisco Chronicle; Newsday Editorials (1/16/08)

“Why is it that George W. Bush only gets a 12 percent favorability rating in Saudi Arabia? Even Osama bin Laden and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad scored higher in a poll last month by the nonpartisan Terror Free Tomorrow group that counts both Republican Sen. John McCain and Democrat former Rep. Lee Hamilton on its advisory board… The poll of Saudis found that, while only 12 percent hold a favorable opinion of Bush, a much more comfortable 40 percent like the United States. That's a lower approval rating than for China - or for Iran, from which Bush now wants to protect them, but it's a start.”

Christian Science Monitor
(1/8/08)

In a lead commentary, TFT President Ken Ballen writes: “To the question many in the West have repeatedly asked – "Where is the voice of the moderate Muslim majority who stand against Al Qaeda, bin Laden, and terrorism?" – the people of Saudi Arabia have delivered a definitive answer. The people of Islam's spiritual home clearly and unequivocally reject Al Qaeda, bin Laden, Iraqi insurgents, and terrorism. They also just as forcefully look forward to the day when the US and Saudi Arabia can have closer and stronger relations.” For the full article and others in CNN, Washington Post, New York Times and important Saudi and Arabic media, click here.
For an audio interview of Ken Ballen by the Monitor, click here.

Washington Post, New York Times, International Herald Tribune, and Reuters wire reports throughout the world (12/19-20/07)

“Most Saudis oppose Osama bin Laden and back the government in its campaign against al Qaeda, but say they want more democracy in the U.S.-allied Islamic country, according to poll findings released this week. The study conducted by U.S. group "Terror Free Tomorrow" showed 15 percent of respondents had a favorable view of Saudi-born al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and 88 percent approve of the government's efforts to pursue militants inside the kingdom. Washington-based Terror Free Tomorrow said it carried out its research by telephone this month with around 1,000 Saudis. Opinion polls on political issues are rare in Saudi Arabia. "Considering the most populous Muslim countries of the world, Saudi Arabia is among the most favorable to the United States," said the report." For the full article, click here.

Al-Watan, Asharq Al-Awsat, Arab Times, Arab News, Khaleej Times, CNN Arabic and throughout the Middle East and Arabic media (12/20-26/07)

Hailed by the major Arabic press as “a survey of profound importance” (Al-Watan; Asharq Al-Awsat), Terror Free Tomorrow’s results have been extensively reported in front page coverage in major Arabic media, and by important Arab commentators, both in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. According to Al-Watan, for instance, the poll constitutes “a rare and remarkable in-depth study of the Saudi society and evidence of a significant rejection by the Saudi Street of terrorism” that can help “bear witness to a new consciousness in the Arab and Muslim world.”

CNN; CNN.com (12/17/07)

“Most Saudi Arabia citizens interviewed in a poll oppose terrorism and want closer ties with the United States. But many Saudis remain opposed to making peace with Israel, according to what researchers call an unprecedented survey of the kingdom. Ten percent of Saudis have a favorable view of the al Qaeda terrorist network, according to a survey by Terror Free Tomorrow, an international public opinion research group based in Washington. Fifteen percent said they have a favorable view of al Qaeda's leader, Saudi exile Osama bin Laden, the poll found. "I think that the people of Saudi Arabia have so overwhelmingly turned against bin Laden, al Qaeda and terrorism in general that nine out of 10 of them look at all three unfavorably," the group's president, Ken Ballen, said.” For the full piece, click here.

New York Times, The Guardian, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Boston Globe, San Jose Mercury News, Forbes, Seattle Post Intelligencer, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Yahoo News, AOL News, FOX NEWS, CBS NEWS
and Associated Press and UPI wire reports throughout the world (12/17-20/07)

“People in Saudi Arabia deeply dislike countryman Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida, yet have only lukewarm views about the United States, one of the kingdom's allies, a poll showed Monday. Bin Laden is seen favorably by just 15 percent of Saudis, and the al-Qaida terror organization he founded gets approval from only 10 percent, the survey found. The poll was conducted for Terror Free Tomorrow, a bipartisan group whose goal is undermining worldwide support for terrorism. Its advisory board includes Sen. John McCain, a Republican presidential candidate, and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind. "People around the Muslim world look up to Saudi Arabia," said Ken Ballen, the group's president. "The fact that al-Qaida and bin Laden are so overwhelmingly rejected in Saudi Arabia is a significant thing." For the full article, click here.

Miami Herald (12/12/07)

Ken Ballen documents that Terror Free Tomorrow findings “show how U.S. policy can make a positive difference” against extremism around the world. For the full op-ed, click here.

Huffington Post (12/11/07)

“In a recent poll by the organization Terror Free Tomorrow, it was found that only 19% of Pakistani citizens had a favorable opinion of the US (down from 47% two years ago), however two-thirds said their opinion would significantly improve with the increase of American educational, medical, disaster and humanitarian assistance. We know it works. It did in Indonesia.”

Washington Post (12/9/07)

Citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s surveys of Pakistan, Richard Armitage and Joseph Nye write: “U.S. favorability ratings are below 20 percent in Pakistan. The U.S.-led war on terrorism is widely seen by Pakistanis as a war on Islam, and American support now tarnishes Pakistani leaders who share U.S. objectives. And yet, for a brief period in late 2005 and early 2006, U.S. favorability ratings approached 50 percent in Pakistan. Why? Because of the U.S. military's effective and principled response to the October 2005 earthquake there, the largest and longest relief effort in U.S. military history. It showed Pakistanis U.S. commitment and friendship and provided an important source of smart power. It demonstrated, however briefly, that America's standing in the world can indeed be restored.”

Washington Post
(11/21/07)

“Musharraf seems to be on the same path [as Egyptian President Mubarak]. While talking about fighting radicalism, his real energy has been devoted to imprisoning and harassing his democratic opponents. As in Egypt, this approach has elevated the Islamists. Polling by the nonprofit group Terror Free Tomorrow shows broad Pakistani support for democracy, coupled with considerable sympathy for radical groups that oppose the military regime. In the long run, propping up favorable dictators to fight terrorism causes a backlash.”


Atlanta Journal Constitution,
Washington Post, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, Jerusalem Post, Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee, Baltimore Sun and other Editorials relying on TFT Pakistan Poll (October-November 2007)


“American policy toward Pakistan had been a failure even before this latest setback. Despite plying Musharraf with public attention and billions in military aid, we haven't got much effective help from him in shutting down al-Qaida and Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan's tribal regions. The best explanation for that failure may come from a poll of Pakistanis commissioned by the American nonprofit group Terror Free Tomorrow.” For the Atlanta Journal Constitution editorial quoted and other editorials/stories, click here.

Washington Post; Los Angeles Times (11/16/07)

“Patience with Musharraf's U.S. backers is also wearing thin. Even before the latest crisis, Pakistanis were highly suspicious of U.S. intentions. A poll released in September by the Washington-based nonpartisan group Terror Free Tomorrow found that only 19 percent of Pakistanis had a favorable view of the United States.”

New York Times (11/5/07)

In a front page story, the Times cites Terror Free Tomorrow’s recent survey of Pakistan: “A poll in September by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based nonprofit group, showed that Osama bin Laden was more popular in Pakistan than General Musharraf, with 46 percent of respondents giving him a “favorable” rating against 38 percent for the president. Ms. Bhutto got a “favorable” rating from 63 percent. The nationwide poll surveyed 1,044 adults and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.”

Washington Post
, MSNBC (10/31/07)

In a front page story, the Post cites Terror Free Tomorrow’s recent survey of Pakistan: “A poll in August conducted for the Washington-based nonprofit group Terror Free Tomorrow found that 19 percent of Pakistanis held a favorable view of the United States, down from 26 percent the previous year. Osama bin Laden had a far higher approval rating, at 46 percent, than either Musharraf (38 percent) or President Bush (9 percent).”

The Washington Times Editorial (10/31/07)

“Insights into the thinking of Iranians is offered by the organization Terror Free Tomorrow, which for the past several years has been conducting opinion polls in Muslim countries in the interest of giving U.S. policy-makers the most complete and nuanced understanding of one of the most important foreign-policy challenges we face in the 21st century. In fact, not only has Terror Free Tomorrow recently conducted polling in Iran, but in Syria and Pakistan as well, and the way the three stack up against each other is fascinating and thought-provoking.” For the full editorial by Helle Dale, click here.

Chicago Tribune (10/30/07)

“A poll released in September by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based non-profit, found that only 19 percent of Pakistanis polled had a favorable opinion of the U.S. -- making the U.S. the most unpopular country here, even more unpopular than historic enemy India.”

New York Times; International Herald Tribune  (10/15/07)

In a front page story, the Times cites Terror Free Tomorrow’s survey of Turkey: “In a random sample public opinion survey of more than 1,000 adults conducted throughout Turkey in person early this year by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based nonprofit group, 73 percent of Turks surveyed said that if the House passed the resolution, their opinion of the United States would decline, while 83 percent said that they would oppose Turkey assisting the United States in Iraq. The poll had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.” For the full poll results, click here.

Washington Post
(10/10/07)

In a front page analysis, the Post cites Terror Free Tomorrow’s survey of Turkey: “A recent poll by the nonpartisan group Terror Free Tomorrow found that 83 percent of Turks would oppose assisting the United States on Iraq if the Armenia resolution passed.”

Wall Street Journal (10/11/07)

“[A] recent poll by the nonpartisan organization Terror Free Tomorrow found that 83 percent of Turks oppose assisting the United States in Iraq if the Armenia resolution passes.”

New York Times (10/7/07)

The New York Times
featured a chart on Terror Free Tomorrow’s survey of Pakistan and the issue of democracy. Please click here.


Washington Post (10/6/07)

“From the Pakistani perspective, running U.S. policy exclusively through an unpopular general …has been disastrous for U.S. standing and counterterrorism objectives. Only 19 percent of Pakistanis now have a favorable view of the United States, according to a recent poll by the nonpartisan group Terror Free Tomorrow.”

Council on Foreign Relations (10/6/07)

“Unpopular views of the war on terror, already rampant in Pakistan’s ISI, which helped create and fuel the Taliban movement during the 1990s, may be even more widely held among the general public. A new survey (PDF) conducted by Washington-based research institute Terror Free Tomorrow shows that 46 percent of Pakistanis hold a favorable view of Osama Bin Laden. Musharraf and United States remain very unpopular in the country.”


Jerusalem Post
, Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee, New York Sun,  Baltimore Sun (Editorials) (10/6-14/07)


“All this is of great moment to Americans because of Pakistan's role in the war against Islamist extremism. Within Pakistan, the war is not going well. This is confirmed by the Washington-based research institute, Terror Free Tomorrow, which released a survey showing that three quarters of Pakistanis oppose American military action against Al Qaeda and the Taliban inside Pakistan…. Popular support for the Taliban and Osama bin Laden has hardened in Pakistan. The Terror Free Tomorrow survey found that, in terms of popularity in Pakistan, Mr. Musharraf trails Osama bin Laden by a sizeable margin…Asked about their view of the purpose of the US-led war on terrorism, 66 percent of Pakistanis said they believe that the US is acting against Islam.”

The News
(Pakistan) Editorial (9/23/07)

“Since the Lal Masjid showdown, Pakistan's political landscape has been repeatedly reduced to the binary that pits extremist militants against the military. Take, for example, the oft-quoted survey released earlier this month by the Washington-based think tank Terror Free Tomorrow. Local and international politicians, policy makers as well as the mainstream media have highlighted the fact that the survey shows bin Laden to be more popular than General Musharraf amongst Pakistanis, with the former boasting approval ratings of 46 per cent against the president's 38 per cent. Of course, the politics and problems of a nation as diffuse as Pakistan are rarely so easily summarized. What most media coverage of the Terror Free Tomorrow survey neglects to report is that the statistics also show Pakistanis to have a 69 per cent approval rating of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, 63 per cent for Benazir Bhutto and 57 percent for Nawaz Sharif. The average Pakistani's ability to see that there are many influential actors in the epic drama that is national politics is, however, dismissed in favor of a neat binary placing the military in opposition with the militants.”


Associated Press of Pakistan (9/14/07)

“President Pervez Musharraf’s top political ally, President Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, publicly called into question “the authenticity of the public opinion survey regarding the popularity of leaders released by an American organization Terror Free Tomorrow.” The Terror Free Tomorrow survey found that Gen. Musharraf’s principal political rivals, Mr. Sharif and Ms. Bhutto, were considerably more popular than Gen. Musharraf, whose 38% favourable rating even fell below Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.”

CNN (9/11/07)

“Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf -- a key U.S. ally -- is less popular in his own country than al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, according to a poll of Pakistanis conducted last month by an anti-terrorism organization. Additionally, nearly three-fourths of poll respondents said they oppose U.S. military action against al Qaeda and the Taliban inside Pakistan, according to results from the poll conducted by the independent polling organization Terror Free Tomorrow. "We have conducted 23 polls all over the Muslim world, and this is the most disturbing one we have conducted," said Ken Ballen, the group's head. "Pakistan is the one Muslim nation that has nuclear weapons, and the people who want to use them against us -- like the Taliban and al Qaeda -- are more popular there than our allies like Musharraf." For a video of the CNN story, please click here.  For a transcript of the CNN story, please click here. For the CNN.com article, please click here.

Associated Press: New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, Newsday, International Herald Tribune, Guardian (UK), Philadelphia Inquirer, Christian Science Monitor, Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, Cleveland Plain Dealer, San Jose Mercury News, Boston Globe, Forbes, Seattle Post Intelligencer, Fort Worth Star Telegram, BBC, FOX News, Yahoo News, AOL News and others throughout the world. (9/11-13/07)

“Only a quarter of Pakistanis support their military working with U.S. forces to pursue terrorists inside Pakistan, and even fewer favor letting American forces mount such operations on their own, a poll released on Tuesday said..The survey was released by Terror Free Tomorrow, a bipartisan group that seeks to reduce support for international terrorism. Its advisory board includes presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lee Hamilton, the former Democratic congressman from Indiana who helped lead a study of White House Iraq policy last year. Ken Ballen, the group's president, said the poll was the most worrisome of 23 it has conducted in the Muslim world over the past three years because of the anti-American, pro-bin Laden feelings it found and the unpopularity of Musharraf, who leads the only Muslim nation with nuclear weapons. ''It's disturbing. It's almost like a perfect storm'' of distressing findings, Ballen said.” For the full article, click here.

NBC News: The Today Show (9/13/07)

Reporting from Tehran, Matt Lauer prominently featured Terror Free Tomorrow’s recent survey in examining the views of Iranians. Citing the work of “Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington based non-profit”, NBC News highlighted in charts TFT’s findings, including that “almost 70% of Iranians favor normal relations and trade with the United States, and only 29% consider nuclear weapons to be an important priority for their government”, among others.

Financial Times (UK) (9/13/07)

“An opinion poll released on Tuesday by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based non-profit organisation, showed that Mr Sharif was catching up on Ms Bhutto in terms of popularity, with 57 per cent of the 1,044 adults polled last month having a favourable opinion of him, compared with 63 per cent for the PPP leader. Osama bin Laden, with 46 per cent support, was viewed more favourably in Pakistan than Gen Musharraf, whose 38 per cent rating makes him the most unpopular figure in Pakistani politics. The nationwide poll showed that 67 per cent of respondents in North-West Frontier Province, where most militants are based, opposed the Pakistani military’s pursuit of al-Qaeda or Taliban forces.”

New York Times (9/13/07)

“A poll released Tuesday by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based nonprofit organization, showed that Osama bin Laden was more popular in Pakistan than General Musharraf, polling 46 percent support against 38 percent for the president. The nationwide poll surveyed 1,044 adults last month and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. It showed that nearly three-quarters of Pakistanis opposed unilateral American military action against Al Qaeda in Pakistan. In addition, 67 percent of respondents in North-West Frontier Province, where most of the militants are based, opposed the Pakistani military’s pursuing Qaeda or Taliban militants.”

Washington Post (9/14/07)

“A poll released this week by a U.S.-based group showed that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is more popular than Musharraf in Pakistan, but both get far more approval than President Bush. The poll, by the bipartisan group Terror Free Tomorrow, revealed that only 19 percent of Pakistanis have a positive view of the United States.”

Washington Post (9/15/07)

“The Pakistan People's Party is the nation's largest, and Bhutto remains popular, although some of the party's leaders worry that her public standing will be hurt if she associates herself with Musharraf. A recent opinion poll conducted by the U.S.-based bipartisan group Terror Free Tomorrow found that 38 percent of Pakistanis have a favorable view of Musharraf, compared with 63 percent for Bhutto.”

Daily Times of Pakistan, Associated Press of Pakistan, Pakistan Tribune, Dawn (Pakistan), The Nation (Pakistan), The Pakistan News, GEO TV Pakistan, BBC Urdu, Times of India, Daily India, Economic Times and others throughout Pakistan and India (9/11-14/07)

"Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is more popular in Pakistan than President Pervez Musharraf, according to a poll released on Wednesday by US-based organisation Terror Free Tomorrow (TFT). TFT polled 1,044 people across Pakistan between August 18 and August 29 and found nearly 75 per cent of Pakistanis oppose US military action in the tribal areas of Pakistan. Musharraf’s approval rating was 38 per cent behind 46 per cent for bin Laden. Bin Laden’s ratings jumped to 70 per cent in the North West Frontier Province. Former Prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, enjoy favourable opinions of 63 per cent and 57 per cent, respectively, while Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had a 69 per cent favourable rating, the poll showed. "

Christian Science Monitor Editorial (8/23/07)

“In a recent poll by Terror Free Tomorrow, a nonprofit research group that develops strategies to counter terrorism, 70 percent of Iranians thought that normal relations with the West should be a high priority, but only 29 percent thought nuclear energy should be, and an astonishing 61 percent disapproved of Ahmadinejad's government. The internal vulnerabilities of Iran's ruling circles make this a perfect time to extend an olive branch to the people of Iran with a diplomatic initiative that involves economic incentives and development opportunities for the poor, the middle class, and the reformers.”

 The Wall Street Journal Commentary (8/4/07)

In a lead commentary, Ken Ballen reports on Terror Free Tomorrow’s unprecedented surveys of Syria and Iran, concluding: “The U.S. should lead a broad-based international coalition, and not give the Iranian and Syrian regimes a free hand in portraying the U.S. as the mortal enemy of their people.…Public opinion in these countries tells us that it is time for the U.S. and the international community to place the ball squarely in the court of the Iranian and Syrian people -- and let their respective governments play defense for a change.” For the full editorial releasing the survey results in the Journal, click here.

Associated Press: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, Newsday, International Herald Tribune, Guardian (UK), Philadelphia Inquirer, Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, Miami Herald, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Washington Times, San Jose Mercury News, San Diego Union Tribune, Forbes, Seattle Post Intelligencer, The Detroit News, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Yahoo News, AOL News and others (8/1-3//07)

“Most Syrians favor working with the United States to seek an end to the Iraq war, yet also support financing Iraqi fighters and other Middle East groups the U.S. considers terrorists, according to a rare poll of Syrians. The poll was sponsored by Terror Free Tomorrow, a bipartisan organization that seeks to erode support for international terrorism….Earlier this month, the group released a survey of Iranians. Objective public opinion surveys are unusual in Syria, whose regime… has imprisoned pro-democracy supporters. "Even though they don't support the U.S.--in fact that's an understatement, they're very negative about the U.S.--they still want to work with the U.S.," said Ken Ballen, president of Terror Free Tomorrow. "They still want the Iraq war resolved, and they're willing for their government to work with the U.S. to resolve it." For the full article, click here.

Christian Science Monitor, Jerusalem Post, Ha’aretz (Israel), Ynet News (Israel), Israel Today, Israel Insider, Al-Bawaba (Jordan) Middle East Times, Turkish Daily News and others in the Middle East (8/1-5/07)

“In a rare poll of Syrian public opinion, a majority favor peace with Israel in return for the Golan. The poll was sponsored by Terror Free Tomorrow, a bipartisan organization that seeks to erode support for international terrorism. Fifty-one percent said they would favor a peace treaty with longtime nemesis Israel if it withdraws from the Golan and recognizes Syrian sovereignty there.”

The Wall Street Journal
 Commentary (7/11/07)

“Keen observers of Iran have insisted for years that the Iranian people are pro-Western, indeed pro-American, while opposed to the largely unelected clerical regime that rules them. For the first time, Terror Free Tomorrow's unprecedented nationwide poll of Iran offers indisputable empirical proof that these commentators are dead-on in their assessment of the ‘Iranian street.’” For the full editorial by Terror Free Tomorrow President Ken Ballen, releasing the survey results in the Journal, click here.


CNN International (7/16/07)

“Our uncensored survey of Iran—the first one like it in 5 years—unmistakably conveys the common humanity that binds the Iranian people to the outside world.” Ken Ballen told CNN. “Iranians are bravely asking for a better life, and the freedom to elect their leaders, instead of building nuclear weapons. The poll tells us that if the United States and the international community put forward a positive agenda of aid and trade with Iran, the Iranian people would overwhelmingly respond positively. And if the regime doesn’t accept, Iranians will even distance themselves further from their own government.”

CNN, CBS, ABC, PBS, BBC Persian, VOA Persian (7/12-26/07)

“Most Iranians support nuclear inspections, a democratic government and normal relations with the United States, a poll by a U.S.-based organization has found. Terror Free Tomorrow found 80 percent of Iranians support full inspections and a guarantee not to develop nuclear weapons in return for aid from other countries.” For the complete story, click here.

Associated Press: Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, Newsday, International Herald Tribune, Guardian (UK), Jerusalem Post, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, Christian Science Monitor, Miami Herald, Cleveland Plain Dealer, San Jose Mercury News, Boston Globe, San Diego Union Tribune, Forbes, Yahoo News, AOL News and others (7/10-11/07)

“… [F]ar fewer Iranians said it was as important to develop nuclear arms as a long-term goal as it was to strengthen the economy and normalize diplomatic and trade relations with the West. The survey… was sponsored by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based bipartisan group that seeks to reduce worldwide support for terrorism and extremism….. "They want an opening to the West and to the United States," Ken Ballen, president of Terror Free Tomorrow, said of Iranians surveyed. "And nuclear weapons, given their other concerns, are their lowest priority." The group's advisory board includes Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a presidential contender. Another member is former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., co-chairman of both the 9/11 Commission and the Iraq Study Group….. Legitimate public opinion polls are unusual in Iran….With face-to-face interviewers sometimes facing arrest, the poll was conducted by telephone from a nearby country that Terror Free Tomorrow requested not be disclosed….” For the full article, click here.


The New York Times
Commentary (7/19/07)

“A recent opinion poll in Iran found that 70 percent of Iranians want to normalize relations with the U.S., and 61 percent oppose the current Iranian system of government. Any visitor to Iran knows that it is — at a people-to-people level — the most pro-American Muslim country in the region, and the regime is as out of touch and moribund as the shah’s was in the late 1970s.”

The Economist
(UK) Commentary (7/19/07)

“[I]n a poll conducted last month by “Terror Free Tomorrow”, an American think-tank, 88% of Iranians saw the economy as the top priority, compared with 29% who listed nuclear weapons. And 79% said they would prefer a democratic system in which all leaders, including the supreme leader, were elected by a direct popular vote. Given that Iranians are naturally wary about what they tell strangers on the phone, these are striking results. They underline the regime's economic vulnerability. What they do not prove is that Iran is ripe for counter-revolution.”


The New York Post Commentary (7/16/07)

“A rare glimpse into the minds of the Iranian people - via a telephone survey of Iranians conducted for Terror Free Tomorrow - shows that… [a]pparently, Ahmadinejad and the ayatollahs are in serious political trouble. Iranians do not much care about getting the bomb and very much worry about global isolation… These data emphasize the importance of a Western willingness to bring Iran in from the cold in return for a no-nuclear-weapons agreement. The palpable thirst of the people for an end to their isolation speaks volumes about the attractiveness of such a proposition.” For the full commentary, click here.

Press Conference by Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary of State (7/30/07)


“If you look at the most recent public opinion poll of Iranian attitudes, the Iranians are obviously proud of their country, they’re nationalistic, they want their country to succeed, but they’re open to a relationship with the United States, most Iranians. They don’t want to see their country in conflict with other countries.”


The Huffington Post Commentary (7/13/07)

“A poll of Iranians released by a bipartisan anti-terror group, Terror Free Tomorrow, shows results that will startle casual observers (but not those who follow the Middle East closely)….Terror Free Tomorrow's only agenda is reducing worldwide terrorism, and the message is clear: An attack on Iran would turn its essentially pro-Western population against us, creating yet another breeding ground for anti-American terrorists. Diplomacy, not war, is the right move now - to avoid war, to promote regime change, and to prevent the further spread of terrorism. For the full commentary, click here.


FrontPage Magazine
Commentary (7/13/07)

“An unusual new telephone poll, conducted in Iran by Terror Free Tomorrow, shows that the Iranian people overwhelmingly want to see democracy develop in their country and would like their country have normal relations with the West and with Israel. This ground-breaking poll – the first of its kind since Ahmadinejad took over as president – “demonstrates that the Iranian people are the best ally of the U.S. and the West against the government in Tehran,” Ballen says. Ken Ballen is right. When Iranians lose their fear of the regime, the regime is in trouble.” For the full commentary, click here.

Jerusalem Post, UPI, The Free Press Commentary (7/10-13/07)

Discussing Terror Free Tomorrow’s survey: “A rare public opinion poll of Iranians conducted recently showed that far fewer Iranians said it was as important to develop nuclear arms as a long-term goal as it was to strengthen the economy and normalize diplomatic and trade relations with the West.” (Jerusalem Post) “While [Iran] pushes the international community into thinking it has only three options left -- economic sanctions, military action or peaceful coexistence with a nuclear Iran -- help might come from an unexpected place: the Iranian people.” (UPI). “A recent and unusual poll of the Iranian people by a bipartisan group suggests that there is even more opportunity for peace than once thought.” (Free Press).

The Daily Star Bangladesh (7/8/07)
 
A lead editorial in one of Bangladesh’s most important newspapers writes that Terror Free Tomorrow’s work: “catches the mood of thinking-minded and sensible people on the issue of terrorism. Muslims are no more supportive of terrorism than any other communities of religious and other groups. Terrorism steams out of misguided ideology energised by anger, mistrust and ignorance. Those that seek to kill innocent people indiscriminately do so out of their evil desires.

FOX NEWS: Interview of Ken Ballen, Terror Free Tomorrow (5/30/07)

“Al Qaeda wants us to see all Muslims as the enemy. And when we demonize Islam or Muslims, we play into Al Qaeda’s hands. I prosecuted terrorists. But we must have policies that are effective in stemming popular support. Terror Free Tomorrow’s 20-plus surveys of Muslim countries over the past two years reveal that not only do Muslims reject terrorism, but even those who are sympathetic to radical ideology can be won over by positive American actions that promote goodwill and offer real hope. We actually set back the fight against terror by not clearly affirming that, by every objective and scientific measure, Muslims want peace and reject terrorism as much as non-Muslims.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune
(5/24/07)

"The amphibious assault ship Peleliu glided from the San Diego Naval Base yesterday with no plans to wage battle during its four-month deployment. Instead, it will follow in the wake of the hospital ship Mercy's 2005 and 2006 humanitarian-aid missions to Southeast Asia and Oceania. These are uncharted waters for the Peleliu. Navy warship crews frequently have offered assistance after natural disasters, but never before has a warship embarked on a purely humanitarian mission. U.S. government officials hope the work of the Peleliu's crew and a medical staff drawn partly from civilian charities will shore up the United States' reputation around the world.  A public-opinion poll conducted last year by Terror Free Tomorrow, a bipartisan and nonprofit group in Washington, D.C., found that large majorities of people surveyed in Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan said they looked more favorably on the United States after the U.S. military's recent humanitarian-aid missions there."


FOX NEWS: The Hannity and Colmes Show (5/8/07)

Ken Ballen, the lead-off guest, was interviewed as the expert on how to infiltrate and prosecute terrorist groups: “The Fort Dix case once again proves the importance of public cooperation and popular support in catching terrorists. The best research Terror Free Tomorrow, the organization I lead, has gathered shows that almost 9 out of every 10 leads on terrorists come from tips, witnesses, informants, and the cooperation of a supportive public. The attitude of both American and foreign publics directly affects the willingness of individuals to come forward and assist the authorities in catching terrorists. The capture of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed came from an informant; Ramzi Yousef, architect of the first World Trade Center bombing, from a timely tip and Hambali, Al Qaeda's Southeast Asia chief, a tip from suspicious neighbors.”

Commentary Magazine
(May 2007)

"Rapid U.S. assistance after the tsunami, delivered by the U.S. military, transformed many Indonesians’ views. A recent poll conducted by the group Terror Free Tomorrow found favorable opinions toward the U.S. increasing in Indonesia, one of the few places in the world where this has occurred."

Harper’s Magazine
(May 2007)

Terror Free Tomorrow’s findings are the lead item in Harper’s Index: “Percentage of Pakistanis and Indonesians who say that attacks on civilians are sometimes justified to defend Islam: 8; Percentage of Americans who say that attacks on civilians are sometimes justified: 24.” For the full commentary on these findings, click here.

Zaman; Turkish Journal; Turkish Daily News; Turkish Press
; Turkish Radio and Television; Turkish Digest; Azeri Press (April 2007)

“An overwhelming majority of Turks oppose resolutions on Armenian claims of genocide currently pending in the US Congress, and believes relations with Armenia and the United States will be negatively affected if Congress passes the resolutions, a survey of opinion conducted by a US-based group has shown. The poll, recently conducted by Terror Free Tomorrow, revealed that Turks felt so powerfully about this issue that should a resolution pass, 83 percent would oppose Turkey assisting the United States in Iraq. Almost four-fifths of Turks favor strong action by the Turkish government if a resolution is passed, including suspension of diplomatic relations.”

The Observer (4/7/07)

“In a survey focused for the first time on Turkish people’s reactions to the vote in the US on the Armenian Genocide legislation, Terror Free Tomorrow, a US based non-profit organization, surveyed more than 1,000 people in all provinces of Turkey and concluded that 80% of Turks opposed the legislation. Further, 73% of those surveyed said their opinion of the US would worsen if the legislation passed while nearly 80% suggested strong action by the Turkish government in response.”

Tony Smith, Washington’s Bid  (2007); Dana Dillon, The China Challenge (2007); Carnes Lord, Losing Hearts and Minds (2007); Dick Martin, Rebuilding Brand America (2007).

Professor Smith cites Terror Free Tomorrow as one of a select group of the most effective non-governmental organizations addressing the foreign policy of the United States (p.142). Noted national security expert Dana Dillon writes: “The most important polling organization for understanding the progress of American policies in the war on terrorism is Terror Free Tomorrow.” (p.56). Noted national security expert Dana Dillon writes: “The most important polling organization for understanding the progress of American policies in the war on terrorism is Terror Free Tomorrow.” (p.56). Professor Lord references Terror Free Tomorrow’s findings as “striking demonstrations of the malleability of public opinion in the Muslim world in the face of the reality of American beneficence.” (p.41), while Martin concurs.

Pakistan Daily Times (3/19/07)

“A conference on Pakistan’s image heard from a variety of experts, including one who asserted that the Muslim world was convinced that the war on terrorism was actually a war on Islam and Muslims. Ken Ballen of Terror Free Tomorrow said since 9/11, the Muslim world is convinced that the real enemy in the war on terrorism is Islam. He said this sentiment is common to all Muslim countries, as a large number of surveys his non-profit organization conducted have revealed.”

The Baltimore Sun (3/15/07)

“According to a new nationwide public opinion survey of Turkey recently conducted by Terror Free Tomorrow, the nonprofit organization I lead, congressional passage of a resolution on the Armenian Genocide would set back the cause it purports to achieve, namely Turkey's recognition of its past and reconciliation with Armenia today.” For the full op-ed, click here.

The Christian Science Monitor
(2/23/07)

In another lead commentary, Ken Ballen reports on Terror Free Tomorrow’s latest findings and their policy implications: “Our surveys show that not only do Muslims reject terrorism as much if not more than Americans, but even those who are sympathetic to radical ideology can be won over by positive American actions that promote goodwill and offer real hope.” For the complete op-ed, please click here.

The Washington Post (1/7/07)

From the Brookings Institution for the Washington Post’s Think Tank Town:“The effects of the power of service can also be seen in the results of a recent Terror Free Tomorrow poll, which showed a markedly positive change in major Muslim nation perceptions of the United States in response to humanitarian relief and service initiatives. Polling data indicated that nearly 60 percent of Indonesians and 75 percent of Pakistanis held more favorable views of the United States following humanitarian assistance after their tsunami and earthquake tragedies. Importantly, this change in perception lasted beyond the initial aid and service, underscoring that America's actions can have lasting impact.”

The Christian Science Monitor (12/20/06)

In another lead commentary, Ken Ballen analyzes how Terror Free Tomorrow’s survey data has led to successful American actions in Muslim countries, including the recent mission of the U.S. Navy ship Mercy: “By demonstrating our common humanity and a benevolent side to American power, these missions have proved to be America's most successful weapon against extremism in the Muslim world.” For the full op-ed, click here.

Navy League of the United States (Winter 2007) 

“The recent mission of the USNS Mercy that took the Navy hospital ship and its staff from the Philippines to Bangladesh, Indonesia and East Timor was much more than a humanitarian effort. Vice Adm. Donald C. Arthur, Navy surgeon general, noted that the mission “extends the hand of America that few people really get to see.” Many will remember it, however. Nationwide surveys within Indonesia and Bangladesh by the Washington nonprofit group, Terror Free Tomorrow, concluded that the Mercy mission helped favorably change public opinion there toward the United States. The consensus approval of Mercy’s mission cut across every demographic group and political view in those countries — and even included supporters of Osama bin Laden. “

FOX NEWS (Cable); Washington Post Radio (12/20-26/06)

Ken Ballen interviews on Mercy:
 
“The U.S. Navy just sent its hospital ship Mercy to Indonesia and Bangladesh, the first- and third-largest Muslim nations in the world. According to our poll, 87 percent of the people in Bangladesh had a more favorable opinion of the United States because of the Mercy’s mission. Our military is undertaking humanitarian policies which are making a real difference. Goodwill for the military, goodwill for the United States is absolutely essential. We need effective policies that diminish popular support for global terrorists around the world, so they cannot become a mass movement.”

International Herald Tribune (12/20/06)

“Nigerian Christians and Muslims were divided along religious lines when it came to the U.S. war on terrorism, according to survey results released today. A U.S. group lobbying for more attention to public opinion in areas it sees as prone to terrorism arranged for a random survey of more than 5,000 people across Nigeria's 36 states. Washington-based Terror Free Tomorrow said more than half Nigeria's Muslims were opposed to U.S. anti-terrorism efforts, compared with 14 percent of Christians. Forty-four percent of Nigerian Muslims said that suicide bombings were often or sometimes acceptable to defend Islam, a figure that fell to 31 percent among Christians, according to the survey… Ken Ballen, the head of Terror Free Tomorrow, said the survey showed that Americans needed to engage with groups in Nigeria who might threaten strategic interests, perhaps by offering increased aid. He said post-tsunami aid in Indonesia greatly improved public opinion about the U.S. there. The group — which counts U.S. Senator John McCain on its advisory board — pushes for the United States to work to gain the public's trust in areas seen as potential terrorism hotspots.” For the full article, click
here.

Turkish Policy Quarterly Editorial (12/06)

From the editor of the influential Turkish Policy Quarterly: “More than ever, civil society needs to play a role in overcoming biases and building bridges. One of the oft heard criticisms of U.S. policy is a disregard of the sensitivities of other cultures and histories. In this context, organizations such as Terror Free Tomorrow are noteworthy, contributing to the understanding among American policymakers of the reasons underlying the fluctuations in anti-American sentiments worldwide.”


FOX NEWS Interview (12/10/06)

Ken Ballen was interviewed as the expert on how to infiltrate and prosecute terrorist groups. Based on Terror Free Tomorrow’s public opinion surveys studying the popular support behind extremism and Ballen’s experience successfully prosecuting international terrorists, Ballen discussed “the vital importance of eroding popular support, enabling informants and encouraging good intelligence to crack terrorist cells. The problem we have overseas, frankly, is when there are large pockets of people who dislike the United States, they won't cooperate. And their cooperation is vital for the kind of human intelligence we need to take down the terrorists themselves. If the network of informants is not developed, we will inevitably have more serious attacks.”

CNN: Anderson Cooper 360° (12/1/06)

Terror Free Tomorrow’s public opinion survey of Turkey was reported on a special “When Faiths Collide.” CNN reported that only 12 percent of Turks were favorable to the United States and 71 percent were unfavorable, citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s recent survey as the authority.

The Christian Science Monitor (12/1/06)

“The Washington-based nonprofit Terror Free Tomorrow has found [favorable] results after visits to Asia by the 1,000-bed Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy, says Kenneth Ballen, the group's founder and president. The Navy sent the Mercy to Banda Aceh, Indonesia, after the 2004 tsunami - the ship's first deployment in 14 years. Navy and Project HOPE medical personnel treated more than 9,500 patients and did more than 19,000 medical procedures while there, the Navy says. The deployment was so successful that the Navy sent the Mercy out again this year on a five-month trip to the Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and East Timor. After the Mercy's deployment, "there was a dramatic change in public opinion of the US in Indonesia," Ballen says.”

San Diego Union Tribune (11/26/06)


“The Mercy's hugely popular humanitarian missions to Asia in the past two years may have saved the San Diego-based hospital ship and its East Coast sister vessel, the Comfort, from a trip to the scrap yard. Last week, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Mullen said he planned to keep sending the ships on humanitarian journeys once a year. Mullen cited favorable public reaction in countries the Mercy visited during its two most recent journeys. Several surveys showed the United States got a public relations boost from military-led humanitarian missions, including a Mercy trip after the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami in South Asia. The Pentagon tried to recapture that magic in April, sending the Mercy on a five-month deployment to the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh and East Timor. After the Mercy's latest trip, a bipartisan group in Washington, D.C., surveyed residents in Indonesia and Bangladesh. The polls by Terror Free Tomorrow showed that 85 percent of Indonesians and 95 percent of Bangladeshis approved of the Mercy crew's work. Most respondents also said U.S. post-disaster aid made them view the United States more favorably.” For the full article, click here.

FOX NEWS: The Hannity and Colmes Show (11/20/06)

Ken Ballen reviewed Terror Free Tomorrow’s new surveys of Indonesia and Bangladesh, where the recent mission of the Navy hospital ship Mercy was greeted to wide acclaim. “People in Indonesia and other Muslim countries,” Ballen said, “are accustomed to hearing a distorted image of the United States. With direct humanitarian missions, such as the Mercy and tsunami relief, suddenly Indonesians are afforded the opportunity of direct experiences with Americans, where people are engaged in helping person-to-person in a respectful way. Then Indonesians experience a new reality of Americans and the result is overwhelming: it changes people's opinions of the United States for the good of everyone." For the full transcript, click here. 

The Gulf Times; The Navy Times; The Virginian-Pilot (11/17-20/06)

“Spurred by a surge in international goodwill after one of their hospital ships completed a five-month humanitarian cruise to Southeast Asia last summer, the Navy's top leaders are considering regular deployments of the floating medical centers. Adm. Michael Mullen, the chief of naval operations, said Thursday that his staff is looking to rearrange budgets and round up partners in the other military branches and civilian humanitarian groups to support an annual cruise by the Baltimore-based Comfort and its sister ship, the San Diego-based Mercy. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers on the Mercy served nearly 61,000 patients in four countries on an April-September cruise this year. Surveys conducted in Indonesia and Bangladesh after the Mercy’s visits showed dramatic improvements in attitudes toward the United States, said Kenneth Ballen, president of Terror Free Tomorrow, a non-profit group that conducted the polls.”

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Dallas Morning News (11/16/06)

“The recent mission of the U.S. Navy's hospital ship, USNS Mercy, did more than improve the health of thousands of people in Indonesia and Bangladesh. According to public opinion research released today by Terror Free Tomorrow, attitudes toward America in both countries -- the world's largest and third largest Muslim nations respectively -- also improved. Terror Free Tomorrow's Ballen reported that 85 percent of Indonesians who were aware of the Mercy mission had a favorable opinion. In Bangladesh, 95 percent were favorable of the mission. ‘There is a remarkable consensus among the people of Indonesia and Bangladesh in favor of humanitarian aid missions like the Mercy,” said Ballen. In Bangladesh, 87 percent of the people surveyed said the activities of the Mercy made their opinion of the U.S. more favorable. ‘It was extraordinarily important to us to send the Mercy back to the region, and I am proud of the impact that she, her crew, our partners and dedicated staff ended up having,’ said Admiral Michael Mullen, Chief of Naval Operations. ‘It goes to show that our people, our power, our principles are now, and will always be, a tremendous force for good.’”

WashingtonTimes; World Peace Herald (11/16/06)

“Public opinion polls conducted in two of the most populous Muslim countries showed that humanitarian aid from a U.S. Navy hospital ship had healed more than health problems. When people were made aware of the mission, it left a positive perception of the United States. These findings will encourage more such missions, officials said. The polls, by the Washington group Terror Free Tomorrow, showed that 53 percent of Indonesians and 87 percent of Bangladeshis who had heard of the hospital ship USNS Mercy's mission to provide medical aid had a better opinion of the United States. The USNS Mercy finished a five-month mission in September to Indonesia, Bangladesh, Philippines and East Timor. Some of the crew visited the same areas they served after the December 2004 tsunami. The polls also showed that American aid after the natural disaster led to a more favorable opinion of the United States. Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chief of naval operations, said the favorable opinion made him committed to continuing missions. Adm. Mullen said he would explore ways to deploy one ship in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic. "Latin America and Africa are in the next round."

The Navy Times; News Blaze; State Department News (11/16/06)

“The Navy’s top officer said the success of the recent humanitarian deployment of the hospital ship Mercy has improved U.S. standing around the world and led him to direct planners to consider sending hospital ships to Africa and Latin America for similar missions. But Adm. Mike Mullen, chief of naval operations, speaking at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, did not say when these deployments would occur; he said he would like to see one such deployment every year. The hospital ship's work was greatly appreciated by the communities it served, according to Terror Free Tomorrow, a nonpartisan organization that polled people in Indonesia and Bangladesh to gain feedback about the Mercy.”

Reuters; Washington Times (11/20/06)

“Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Jakarta and hundreds of police erected a barbed-wire barricade around the presidential palace a day before President Bush visits Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country. Despite the protests in Jakarta, the United States is viewed positively by many Indonesians for its swift response to the tsunami that struck the islands nearly two years ago, killing 100,000. Almost 60 percent of Indonesians surveyed nationwide said that American assistance made them favorable to the United States, according to Terror Free Tomorrow, a nonpartisan group that includes Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, as an adviser.”

The Brookings Institution (11/6/06)

“While America is awash in polls this political season, one recent poll deserves attention because its findings point to a policy change that would have more impact on the future of the United States than the outcome of the midterm elections. A poll by Terror Free Tomorrow conducted in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan, the three most populous Muslim countries, found that U.S. foreign aid has the potential to dramatically improve public perceptions of the United States. The end result of the poll findings is that the United States has the ability to win "hearts and minds" through "deeper American assistance, directly to the people, following their expressed priorities."

U.S AID News (11//06)

“The independent non-profit organization, “Terror Free Tomorrow,” recently released its report following its polling of public opinion attitudes in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan, the three most populous Muslim countries. The report establishes a very tight correlation between increased knowledge of U.S. foreign assistance efforts and positive feelings toward the United States. Mr. Ken Ballen, President of Terror Free Tomorrow, met with top officials in early November to lead an informative briefing on the results. Please visit the Polls section of the www.terrorfreetomorrow.org website to read and share this report.”

Associated Press, UPI (11/01/06)

“U.S. foreign aid can significantly improve the image of the United States among Muslims in the countries that receive it, according to new polling data. Terror Free Tomorrow, a non-profit recently released polling data it collected in three countries representing more than half the world's Muslims: Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh. "American assistance results in a substantial favorable change in opinion toward the United States," said the group in a statement, adding that the change was not short-term. Attitudes in Indonesia continued to be influenced by U.S. tsunami relief two years ago. Even though the majority in all three countries opposed the U.S.-declared war on terror, the statement said, attitudes across the spectrum of opinion appeared to be amenable to improvement. "The consensus approval of the role of direct American aid cuts across every element of society. Whether they are supporters of bin Laden, or opposed to the U.S. war on terrorism, or even favorable to suicide terrorist attacks," everyone has better view of the United States because of its assistance.”

The Audacity of Hope by Senator Barack Obama (Crown 10/06)
 
In his new book, Senator Barack Obama relies on Terror Free Tomorrow’s work for the conclusion to his foreign policy chapter. “Perhaps the world’s fate depends not just on the events of its battlefields,” Senator Obama writes, “perhaps it depends just as much on the work we do in those quiet places that require a helping hand.” Citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s findings, Senator Obama concludes that U.S. assistance to Indonesia after the tsunami is an example of the kind of policies that the United States should pursue: “65 percent of Indonesians surveyed said that this assistance had given them a more favorable view of the United States. I am not naïve enough to believe that one episode in the wake of catastrophe can erase decades of mistrust. But it’s a start.” Click
here.

In Homeland Security (10/31/06)

Terror Free Tomorrow commentary featured on new blog. For link please click
here.

The Middle East Times, United Press International, Bangladesh Today (10/27-30/06)
 
“Foreign aid could be a vital tool in the struggle to win over hearts and minds throughout the Muslim world, according to new polling data. During the past six months, Terror Free Tomorrow has administered polls in Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan -- the world's three most populous Muslim countries -- in which at least half of all respondents replied that American aid ‘makes them more favorable to the U.S.’” For the full article, click
here.

Outlook India (10/27/06)

"Polling in Pakistan and other parts of the Muslim world has demonstrated the significant impact that U.S. humanitarian aid has on peoples’ perceptions of America. A poll by Terror Free Tomorrow, a U.S. nonprofit organization, indicated that favorable attitudes toward America doubled following the U.S. response to the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan ."

The Washington Times Editorial (10/25/06)

“According to a poll to be released tomorrow by the organization Terror Free Tomorrow at the Heritage Foundation, in the world's three most populous Muslim countries -- Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh -- public perceptions of the United States are capable of changing dramatically, as a consequence of generous disaster aid and humanitarian assistance from this nation. To quote from the study, ‘The bottom line is that American aid is the single most important action the people of the three largest Muslim countries want from the United States. And here's the key to winning hearts and minds: deeper American assistance directly to the people, following their expressed priorities.’ For the full editorial, click
here.

M & C News (UK) (10/17/06)

Kenneth Ballen, Terror Free Tomorrow President, cited as one of the experts on a new study documenting Asian and American opinion on foreign policy issues, criticized the decision to exclude the uneducated from the survey. "You just don't know what people are going to say until you ask them," he said. More importantly, Ballen added, the decision to discount the uneducated makes comparing countries problematic. The survey of China accounts for 98.2 percent of the population while the survey of India measures only 80 percent, making the China survey more representative of the Chinese population than the Indian one, according to Ballen.”

United Press International (10/11/06)

Terror Free Tomorrow is featured in an article on the problems and opportunities involved in polling in the Muslim world. The article details the experiences that Terror Free Tomorrow, “an organization which studies attitudes towards terrorism around the world” has encountered in conducting public opinion surveys in Bangladesh and Indonesia. For the full article, click
here.

The New York Times (9/23/06)

Terror Free Tomorrow is honored to be chosen as a participant in the 2006 Clinton Global Initiative, including current and former heads of state, top business executives and representatives of key non-governmental organizations. For an article on the Clinton Global Initiative, click
here.

National Press Club (9/11/06)

Citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s polling in Indonesia after the tsunami, Governor Tom Kean, Chair of the 9/11 Commission, stated that the favorable change in public opinion in Indonesia represents the kind of actions that the United States must take against terrorism, which are “a lot cheaper than war, and the kind of thing we ought to be doing… We got to find some way so that we’re not killing terrorists as more are being created.”

National Review (8/23/06)

An editorial by Senator Lugar’s foreign policy advisor states: "To improve Pakistani public opinion toward America, we need to structure our assistance programs in a way that demonstrates the U.S. supports improving the lives of average Pakistanis, and isn’t merely trying to buy regime support for counterterrorism cooperation….The robust response of the U.S. government to the devastating earthquake that hit Pakistan on October 8, 2005, shows how our assistance helps shape attitudes toward Americans. A poll conducted by the nonprofit organization Terror Free Tomorrow indicates that the number of Pakistanis with favorable views of the U.S. doubled from 23 percent in May 2005 to 46 percent in November 2005.”

The Guardian (UK) (8/11/06)
 

“Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based group that lobbies for alternative strategies in the US's "war on terror", has recommended that the US government fund 10,000 English-language teachers to work in Indonesia's Islamic schools, and to establish similar programmes in other Muslim countries. Kenneth Ballen, president of Terror Free Tomorrow, said that inexpensive steps could be taken to earn vital goodwill in countries where there is hostility towards the US. He added that US universities should create an Institute of English Teacher Education, to train local teachers from Muslim countries in the US.”

Philadelphia Inquirer (7/24/06)

In the lead commentary, Terror Free Tomorrow President Ken Ballen writes that “the changed circumstances of the latest conflict against terror require, as our military leaders recognize, a different and imaginative use of our military and civilian resources to prevail.” For the full editorial, click
here.


US State Department: News from Washington (7/13/06)

“The U.S. military’s Quadrennial Defense Review, a strategy document, says the War on Terror requires humanitarian aid. ‘If we don’t do this, we leave an opening to al-Qaida,’ said Thomas Henriksen, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, a Stanford University research center....Pakistan, the world’s second-most populous Muslim nation that is battling extremism, is important to U.S. efforts to win the hearts and minds of Muslims, according to Henriksen. So it is notable that by December 2005, a poll by Terror Free Tomorrow/ACNielsen Pakistan showed that the share of Pakistanis with favorable opinions of the United States had doubled, to 46 percent from 23 percent six months earlier.”

The Hill (6/28/06)

Citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s polls, the editorial concludes:
"Polls show that humanitarian aid can improve the U.S. image even in hostile territory. Positive views of the United States among Indonesians soared after Washington provided aid for disaster relief in areas hit hard by the December 2004 tsunami. Relief work in Pakistan after the October 2005 earthquake also had positive effects (although the United States is still highly unpopular in Pakistan, as in most Muslim nations).”


The Christian Science Monitor (6/21/06)

“Even as the US and the European Union have increased pressure on Iran, support has continued to grow among Sunni Muslims, even on the Arabian Peninsula, where Shiite Iran has long been seen as a strategic threat. Still, according to a recent poll of Iran's neighbors by the Washington-based advocacy group Terror Free Tomorrow, one-third of the respondents in Saudi Arabia - where school textbooks depict Shiites as heretics - favor a nuclear-armed Iran. In Pakistan, two-thirds wanted Iran to have the bomb.”

The Good Fight by Peter Beinart (Harper Collins June 2006)

In his new book, Peter Beinart relies on Terror Free Tomorrow’s work for an important conclusion. Citing Terror Free Tomorrow in his final chapter, Beinart writes that U.S. assistance to Indonesia after the tsunami “transformed America’s image in Indonesia. Even more remarkably, it undermined support for Osama bin Laden. In 2005, post-tsunami Indonesia became the first major Muslim country to ever register plurality support for the U.S. war on terror…[and] represents one of our greatest victories yet over jihad.”

The Boston Globe; International Herald Tribune (6/20-21/06)

Citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s recent poll in Indonesia, the editorial concludes: "The US Agency for International Development has launched a pilot program plugging its good works in Indonesia. The recent earthquake there was followed by widely-reported American relief efforts, too. Together with America's generous, well-publicized relief after the devastating 2004 tsunami, these efforts have turned around perceptions of America among Indonesians. The latest poll shows 44 percent are favorable to America and 41 percent unfavorable. That's quite a shift from the 85 percent unfavorable -- 15 percent favorable ratio found in a 2003 poll.”

The San Francisco Chronicle; U.S. News & World Report; The Miami Herald (6/19-25/06)

"According to a recent poll of Iran's neighbors by Terror Free Tomorrow, a nonpartisan group headed by current and former Washington politicians, one-third of the respondents in Saudi Arabia -- where textbooks depict Shiites as heretics -- favor a nuclear-armed Iran. In Pakistan, an important U.S. ally and the only Muslim country with a publicly acknowledged nuclear arsenal, two-thirds of respondents said they wanted Iran to have the bomb. Iran -- predominantly Shiite, non-Arab, Farsi-speaking and radical in its foreign policy -- is a historic rival to the Sunni Arab states to its west."

Pakistan Dawn (6/17/06)

"As many as 70 per cent Pakistanis want Iran to have nuclear weapons, said a survey report released this week. The survey by Terror Free Tomorrow, a non-governmental organization—which has Senator John McCain and several members of the 9/11 commission on its advisory board — commissioned the wide-ranging poll….The survey also shows that anti-American sentiment in the Muslim countries has reached startling levels, but positive US policies like disaster-relief efforts can help reverse the trend. Ken Ballen, president of Terror Free Tomorrow and a former federal prosecutor and counsel to the Iran-Contra committee, said there was ‘a silver lining’ to the poll results:“Positive US policies like earthquake relief in Pakistan and tsunami aid in Indonesia improved pro-Western attitudes.”

The Middle East Times; Persian News; Iranian News; The Muslim News; UPI (6/15-18//06)

"The vast majority of Iran's Turkish, Saudi and Pakistani neighbors want the United States to accept a nuclear Iran, shows a series of polls released Wednesday by Terror Free Tomorrow, a non-profit and non-partisan organization. The polls also revealed that despite historically high levels of anti-Americanism, U.S. humanitarian assistance results in a more favorable view of the country abroad. In Pakistan, 75 percent of Pakistanis are more favorable towards the United States due to American earthquake relief. "

The Washington Times (6/14/06)

“Anti-American sentiment in the Muslim world has reached startling levels, but positive U.S. policies like disaster-relief efforts can help reverse the trend, according to poll results released yesterday. The data also showed that large numbers of people in several of Iran's neighboring countries -- including 70 percent in Pakistan -- would favor a nuclear-armed Iran. Terror Free Tomorrow, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with Sen. John McCain and several members of the 9/11 commission on its advisory board, commissioned the wide-ranging poll….Positive U.S. policies like earthquake relief in Pakistan and tsunami aid in Indonesia improved pro-Western attitudes. The polls showed that U.S. aid promoted a more favorable view of the United States among 75 percent of Pakistanis and 63 percent of Indonesians.”

Christian Science Monitor (6/7/06)


Citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s poll after American tsunami relief, the lead editorial concludes: “The reaction in Indonesia to the visible American effort was very positive…. There was a similar rise of approval for the US in Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake there. A poll by the nonprofit Terror Free Tomorrow organization showed that, as a result of the relief operation, favorable opinion of the US in Pakistan jumped from 23 percent in 2005 to more than 46 percent by the end of that year. Both Indonesia and Pakistan are Muslim, but non-Arab, countries. Their direction could offer a meaningful example to other Arab countries in the Islamic world....[W]hen the US is engaged in a critical war of words with terrorists and would-be terrorists in the Islamic world, such no-strings humanitarian aid plays a role in generating a more positive image of Americans and their government.”

 
The New England Journal of Medicine (4/27/06)

“Despite the overwhelming needs, it is naïve to rely on altruism alone as the basis for foreign assistance. When natural disasters occur in countries in which the United States believes it has a national-security interest, a strong case can be made for long-term involvement. The U.S. government, including its armed forces, has already made important contributions to the relief effort in Pakistan…. The same was true in Indonesia after the tsunami, and polls by Terror Free Tomorrow have shown that U.S. assistance improved opinions about the United States.”

The Washington Post (4/13/06)
 

President Clinton, citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s post-tsunami poll in Indonesia that “approval of bin Laden had gone from 58 percent to 23 percent, said, Why? They saw the military dropping food instead of bombs." President Clinton said, “There were limits to what you could achieve militarily.”

The Wall Street Journal (4/6/06)

“For the first time since 9/11, the first and second most populous Muslim countries in the world, Indonesia and Pakistan respectively, favorably support the U.S. and turned decisively against support for bin Laden and terrorism. Public opinion surveys over the past year by Terror Free Tomorrow teach us a crucial lesson: If the U.S. takes leadership in assistance, then public support in Muslim countries for America soars, at the same time support for bin Laden and terrorist attacks fades away. ” For Ken Ballen’s full piece, click
here.

The Christian Science Monitor (3/31/06)

In the last six months, some 1,200 US military personnel and a fleet of 24 helicopters have delivered over 15,000 tons of humanitarian aid, in what has been called the largest disaster relief operation in US military history. The "angels of mercy," as US helicopters have been called, have delivered not only aid but much needed goodwill in Pakistan, softening an otherwise rocky relationship with the United States. Polling in recent months by Terror Free Tomorrow has shown a marked improvement for the US image among the Pakistani public as a result of the American helping hand. 
 
Associated Press (3/22/06)
 
Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stating that he had seen Terror Free Tomorrow’s poll, said that he believes more Pakistani people have a favorable opinion of the United States because of the earthquake assistance. "I do believe that the Pakistan people have recognized a side of the American people they heretofore did not have a chance to see in person," said Pace who is making his first visit to the impoverished country.

The Wall Street Journal (3/16/06)
 
Citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s new poll of Indonesia in a lead editorial, the editors write: “America's popularity in Indonesia has risen dramatically in the past year -- Gitmo, Abu Ghraib and Halliburton notwithstanding. That's the conclusion of a remarkable poll conducted last month for the Washington-based NGO, Terror Free Tomorrow. Since 2003, the number of Indonesians with a favorable view of the U.S. has nearly tripled, to 44% from 15%.... The proximate cause for the changed Indonesian outlook has been U.S. relief efforts following the December 2004 tsunami.” For the full editorial, click
here.

The New York Times (3/15/06)

“Partly because of American help after the tsunami in December 2004, amounting to $400 million in official aid, Indonesian approval ratings for the United States have risen to a high of about 50 percent, “ referring to Terror Free Tomorrow’s recent national opinion poll in Indonesia.

The Christian Science Monitor (3/10/06)

“If radicalism does spread, there's hope it can be counterbalanced by the goodwill generated by the US because of its role in earthquake relief. Because of American efforts, 78 percent of Pakistanis have a more favorable opinion of the US, according to a November 2005 poll released by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based nonprofit. The US, the poll says, also fared better among Pakistanis than radical Islamist groups.” For the full article, click
here.

The Christian Science Monitor (3/3/06)

In the lead commentary, Terror Free Tomorrow President Ken Ballen writes that America’s top military leaders, based on Terror Free Tomorrow public opinion surveys over the past year, agree “if American efforts are focused on positive rebuilding and vision for the future, the foot soldiers for bin Laden and radical Islam will desert. Islamist extremism can indeed be effectively defeated in Muslim hearts and minds.” For the full editorial, click
here.

USA Today (3/03/06)

Citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s work as evidence, the Editorial Board of USA Today concludes: “Reaching people on a human level was once a larger part of U.S. policy... By leading with its values and again becoming a beacon of hope in the developing world, the United States could advance both the search for bin Laden and the battle against his hateful ideology.” For the full editorial, click
here.

The Christian Science Monitor (2/27/06)

“In one corner of the Islamic world, humanitarian efforts from American marines and civilians dramatically improved Muslims' view of the United States, according to a recent survey from a Washington-based nonprofit group. The Terror Free Tomorrow organization focused not on a Middle Eastern country, however, but on the world's most populous Muslim nation - Indonesia. Conducted roughly a year after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the poll found that Indonesians ‘with a favorable opinion of the US’ has nearly tripled in the past three years…Terror Free Tomorrow commissioned the poll as a follow-up to its January 2005 survey that found a significant increase in Indonesian support for the US. ‘I was very surprised,’ says the organization's president, Kenneth Ballen. ‘In a year that's included Koran desecration and the ongoing war in Iraq, you'd think support would have fallen.” For the full article, click
here.

Associated Press (2/24/06)

“Helping out in disaster rescue and relief missions is turning out to be one of the U.S. military's best public relations moves...
'The thing that is so dramatic about humanitarian relief in Indonesia and Pakistan is that, for the first time since 9/11, popular opinion in the first and second most populous Muslim nations has shifted away from (Osama) bin Laden and terrorism and toward the U.S.,' said Ken Ballen, president of Terror Free Tomorrow. 'These countries are seeing the American military and the government in a very different light.'
Ballen's comments followed the publication this week of a survey conducted in Indonesia by his Washington-based group suggesting that perceptions toward the U.S. have changed for the better in the Southeast Asian nation. Sen. John McCain, a possible Republican candidate in the 2008 presidential elections, is an adviser to Terror Free Tomorrow--which aims to undermine terrorism...”


U.S. News & World Report (2/23/06)

“In a dramatic shift in public opinion, more Indonesians now view the United States more favorably than in a negative way. At the same time, support for Osama bin Laden has dropped to its lowest level since 9/11.Those are the findings in a new poll conducted in Indonesia for Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based organization whose advisory board includes Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton, the chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the 9/11 commission....The dramatic shift was caused, said Terror Free Tomorrow President Kenneth Ballen, by America's tsunami relief program. Ballen said: 'The fact that more than a year after American help, Indonesians continue to appreciate America's role is stunning proof of the sustained power of positive and substantial assistance to radically change Muslim public opinion.' For the full article, click
here.

The Washington Post (2/26/06)

Citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s poll in Pakistan, Peter Bergen writes “the number of Pakistanis expressing a positive view of bin Laden has fallen to 33 percent. This comes at the same time that Pakistanis are expressing more favorable views of the United States -- 46 percent -- as a result of American relief efforts following October's devastating earthquake.”

USA Today (2/16/06)

“U.S. aid to quake-stricken Kashmir has improved America's image in Pakistan, where many have seen the United States as a bully repressing Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan. A poll taken in November by the non-partisan group Terror Free Tomorrow found that the percentage of Pakistanis with a favorable impression of the United States doubled to 46% after the quake relief efforts began.”

Pentagon Channel (02/16/06)

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, in a major policy address before the Council on Foreign Relations, cited Terror Free Tomorrow’s polling in Pakistan after the earthquake. Secreaty Rumsfled said the survey showed “that public attitudes in that country regarding the United States changed dramatically because of this new awareness by the Pakistani public” of American earthquake assistance.

Associated Press of Pakistan (2/9/06)
 

"The U.S. Senate has called for the United States to take the lead to encourage and continue relief efforts in response to the earthquake in Pakistan. The Senate found that the results of a poll by the nonprofit organization Terror Free Tomorrow show that, at the end of November 2005, more than 46 percent of Pakistanis had a favorable view of the United States, double the percentage of Pakistanis that held that view in May 2005."

U. S. Senate (1/27/06)
 
Terror Free Tomorrow’s Pakistan poll was cited by the Senate as one of the principal findings in Senate Resolution 356, unanimously passed by the Senate on January 27, 2006. The Senate supported the United States “to take the lead” to encourage and continue relief efforts in response to the earthquake in Pakistan, finding that “the results of a poll by the nonprofit organization Terror Free Tomorrow show that, at the end of November 2005, more than 46 percent of Pakistanis had a favorable view of the United States, double the percentage of Pakistanis that held that view in May 2005.” The resolution was co-sponsored by Senators Lugar and Biden (Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee), and introduced by Senator Mikulski, among others.

The Miami Herald (1/24/06)

Terror Free Tomorrow President Ken Ballen discusses the implications of Terror Free Tomorrow’s unprecedented polling: “Results from a recent poll of Pakistanis deliver a stunning new message on the United States' course for future success. If American efforts are focused on a positive rebuilding and vision for the future, the foot soldiers for bin Laden and radical Islam will desert. Islamist extremism can indeed be effectively defeated in Muslim hearts and minds.” For the full op-ed, click
here.

The Washington Post (1/22/06)

Columnist Jim Hoagland analyzes the strategic importance of Pakistan to the US war on terror, citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s Pakistan poll of “a few weeks ago reporting significant gratitude from Pakistanis for U.S. help after the catastrophic earthquake.”

U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings (1//17/06)

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chief of Operations for the US Navy, wrote that he was “struck by the results” of Terror Free Tomorrow polling, which showed that “as a direct result of American humanitarian assistance,” there was “a stunning turnaround of public opinion” in the Muslim world. Admiral Mullen concluded: “That was, in my view, one of the defining moments of this new century."

"Shame on us," Admiral Mullen wrote, " if, even through benign neglect, we allow those same opinions to turn against our best intentions again.” For Admiral Mullen’s full article, click
here.

The Christian Science Monitor (1/17/06)

“US aid to Muslims affected by the tsunami and by Pakistan's October 2005 earthquake dramatically improved attitudes toward the US, according to polls sponsored by the Washington-based bipartisan nonprofit group Terror Free Tomorrow. The Indonesia poll, conducted by the Indonesian Survey Institute in February last year, concluded that 65 percent of Indonesians had a more favorable view of the US. A November 2005 poll in Pakistan found similar results, noting that 79 percent of those with confidence in Osama bin Laden had a more favorable view of the US after the earthquake. As a result, analysts say, the Bush administration was able to parlay the goodwill into lifting an embargo on military exports and foreign military financing ties with Indonesia on Nov. 22.” For the full article, click
here.

The New York Post (12/26/05)

“Military operations against terrorism are essential in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, but Islamic extremism will be defeated as much — if not more — in the Muslim heart and mind as on the battlefield. So, at least, suggests a new Pakistani survey. The Pakistan branch of ACNielsen did the poll for the D.C.-based nonprofit Terror Free Tomorrow. The key finding: Pakistan — long a hotbed of terrorism and extremism, and still the suspected hiding place for Osama bin Laden, and other senior terrorist leaders — now holds the United States in higher regard than at any time since 9/11.” For the op-ed, click
here.

The New York Times (12/26/05)

According to an news analysis in the Times, “an all-out push to publicize post-earthquake assistance to Pakistan helped give the United States a 46 percent approval rating in that country, its highest level since Sept. 11, 2001,” citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s poll in Pakistan.

The Washington Times (12/27/05)

“In Pakistan, U.S. help was equally swift, and in both Indonesia and Pakistan, anti-American sentiment took a nosedive as a result. In a poll just released by the group Terror Free Tomorrow, because of the earthquake aid, Pakistani favorable opinion of the United States has doubled since May 2005 to more than 46 percent. Support for Osama bin Laden, on the other hand, over the same period dropped from 51 percent to just 33 percent.”

Terror Free Tomorrow on CNN (12/21/05)

Ken Ballen, Terror Free Tomorrow President, was interviewed on CNN about Terror Free Tomorrow’s work. The interview with anchor Carol Lin focused on the first poll in Pakistan since the earthquake of October 8, 2005, conducted by Terror Free Tomorrow. Mr. Ballen also discussed the poll on the most watched Pakistani news broadcast (GEO TV), as well as numerous radio shows across the United States. For a transcript of the CNN interview, click
here.

The Wall Street Journal (12/19/05)

The Wall Street Journal released Terror Free Tomorrow’s poll of Pakistan, the first survey after the October 8th earthquake. Terror Free Tomorrow President Ken Ballen and Advisory Board member Husain Haqqani detailed the path breaking poll results, revealing that Pakistanis now hold a more favorable opinion of the United States than at any time since 9/11, while support for Al Qaeda in its home base has dropped to its lowest level since then. For the full article, click here.

The Christian Science Monitor (12/20/05)

For its reporting on Terror Free Tomorrow’s poll in Pakistan, click
here.

CNN (12/20/05)

Citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s poll of Pakistan, Vice President Cheney said: “the view of the Pakistani people of the United States now has been enormously improved by this operation because they’ve seen what we do. It’s a measure of the enormous capabilities of the U.S. military that it could fall in on a crisis like this, and they’ve saved thousands of lives. It’s one of the things we do better than anybody else. It does have a very positive impact. No question about it.”

National Public Radio (12/21/05)
 
A report by John Hendren traveling with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld cites Terror Free Tomorrow’s poll of Pakistanis as evidence that continuing U.S. relief efforts have dramatically improved the image of the United States in Pakistan.

The Globe and Mail (11/17/05)

In an op-ed in Canada’s leading newspaper, Terror Free Tomorrow President Ken Ballen and Advisory Board member Husain Haqqani reveal new information on the role of Islamist radicals in Pakistani earthquake relief. Citing Terror Free Tomorrow’s work, they argue for a much stronger international response. For the full article, click
here.

Roll Call (11/10/05)

“Terror Free Tomorrow found that 71 percent of Americans believe they’ve heard less about the Pakistan quake than about the tsunami. When informed about the disaster, a majority favors more U.S. aid. A widely publicized poll by TFT, whose advisory board includes Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and former Reps. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.) and Tom Foley (D-Wash.), found that tsunami relief cut Indonesian popular opposition to the U.S. war on terror… TFT’s executive director, Ken Ballen, a former aide to Hamilton, told me “The United States is indeed helping Pakistan, but much more needs to be done, given the scale of the disaster and the strategic importance of the world’s second-largest and only nuclear-armed Muslim nation…. If we are serious about truly confronting what President Bush rightly called ‘the murderous ideology’ of radical Islamists, then we must also take the concrete steps required to weaken support for the radicals among the people themselves.” For the complete commentary by Mort Kondracke, click
here.

U. S. Senate (10/25/05)

In a statement on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Senator Joseph Biden, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, extensively cited Terror Free Tomorrow’s surveys to argue for increased aid to Pakistan “to replicate our success in Indonesia” which resulted in “an incalculable amount of goodwill” among the Muslims in the world’s largest Islamic nation.

The Washington Post (10/13/05)

“The model for using a humanitarian disaster to leverage public opinion is the Indian Ocean tsunami relief effort earlier this year. Polling has indicated that the U.S. tsunami effort …has paid dividends to the United States' image in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country.

A survey of 1,200 Indonesians one month after the tsunami, sponsored by Terror Free Tomorrow and conducted by a leading Indonesian pollster, found that, for the first time, more Indonesians (40 percent) supported the U.S. terrorism fight than opposed it (36 percent). Sixty-five percent of those surveyed had a more favorable impression of the United States, with support strongest among those younger than 30, while support for Osama bin Laden dropped from 58 percent before the tsunami to 23 percent. Terror Free Tomorrow is a nonpartisan group that studies popular support for global terrorism.

Husain Haqqani, director of the Center for International Relations at Boston University and an adviser to Terror Free Tomorrow, said the experience in Indonesia could easily be replicated in Pakistan. Haqqani, a former adviser to several Pakistani political leaders, said that anti-American Islamic groups have begun to realize this and have opposed the U.S. aid because ‘this may take the wind out of their sails.’” For the full article, click
here

The Wall Street Journal (10/11/05)

In arguing for American leadership for earthquake-ravaged Pakistan, Husain Haqqani, a leading Pakistani commentator, relies on Terror Free Tomorrow’s work. According to Haqqani: “American assistance in providing relief to the earthquake victims would go a long way to winning over Muslim hearts and minds. That was graphically demonstrated after December's tsunami. A poll by Terror Free Tomorrow found that 65% of Indonesians had become more favorably disposed to the U.S. as a result of this American assistance. The number opposing U.S. efforts to fight terrorism fell by half, compared with a previous poll two years earlier. And, for the first time ever in a survey of opinion in a major Muslim nation, more people expressed support for the American-led war on terror than opposition. If ordinary Pakistanis, Afghans and Kashmiris see American military personnel and NGOs providing relief to earthquake victims in a similar way, then there is every reason to believe it will have a similar effect on the anti-American prejudices that have been instilled in them over the years.”

The Nation (Pakistan), The Indian Express (India), and The Gulf News (Gulf states and pan-Arab)—(October 5-7, 2005)

Editorials in all three widely circulated newspapers cited Terror Free Tomorrow’s polling data in Indonesia as showing that “humanitarian assistance after the tsunami dented anti-Americanism among grateful Indonesian Muslims.”

U. S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (9/15/05)

In testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Assistant U.S. AID Administrator James Kunder described Terror Free Tomorrow as an organization represented by “many distinguished professionals.” In particular, Mr. Kunder testified about Terror Free Tomorrow’s post-tsunami polling in Indonesia. Kunder cited Terror Free Tomorrow’s work as the evidence behind the fact that: “The compassion of ordinary Americans and the private sector, combined with prompt government action, has significantly changed the way Indonesians view the USA…. This measurable progress on ‘winning hearts and minds’ and gaining allies in the Global War on Terrorism is a major blow to Al Qaeda and other terrorists.”

Washington Times (8/29/05)

“According to a Terror Free Tomorrow poll in Indonesia following our nation’s charitable outpouring, America’s favorability ratings soared upward …on the streets of the world’s largest Muslim nation.”

CNBC Report with Brian Williams (6/5/05)

In an interview with Brian Williams, former President Clinton cited Terror Free Tomorrow's poll of Indonesians, stating that after the tsunami, “our approval rating in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country, went way up because we were there on a human level without an agenda.”

U.S. News & World Report (4/25/05)

A major article cited the results of Terror Free Tomorrow's poll of Indonesians as a prime example of the positive effects of a renewed U.S. effort to win hearts and minds in the Muslim world. For the full story, click
here.

Washington Times (4/21/05)

Ken Ballen wrote that the Terror Free Tomorrow poll of Indonesians shows that U.S. actions are important, and public diplomacy, broadly defined, can pay an essential role in winning the war on terrorism. For the full op-ed, click 
here.
 
Associated Press (4/13/05)

At his first news conference in his new job as the top U.N. envoy for tsunami recovery, former President Clinton cited the Terror Free Tomorrow Indonesian poll. For the article, click here. For the full transcript, click
here.

Washington Post (4/1/05) 

In his first speech after surgery, former President Clinton cited the Terror Free Tomorrow poll in Indonesia that showed rising support for the United States and declining support for Osama Bin Laden. This change underscored his message to the United States and other countries: "If you live in an interdependent world where you cannot kill, jail or occupy all your enemies, you had better spend some of that money to make a world with more friends and fewer enemies." For the full story, click
here.

Christian Science Monitor (3/21/05)

Citing Terror Free Tomorrow's Indonesian poll, 9/11 Commission Co-Chair Lee Hamilton called for sustained American relief efforts in Indonesia, a consistent system of monitoring sympathy for anti-American terrorists, and additional U.S. actions to counter the support base of global terrorists in every country where they are making headway. For the full commentary, click
here.

Washington Post (3/9/05)

Citing Terror Free Tomorrow's poll of Indonesians, President Bush said that the U.S. response to the deadly tsunami has led to a dramatic change in the perception of Americans in many Muslim nations and suggested that this new image could help in the fight against terrorism. Click
here.

CNN, MSNBC & FOX News (3/8/05)

After meeting with President Bush about tsunami relief efforts, President Bush and Clinton answered reporters questions. As seen on CNN, MSNBC and FOX News, the two former Presidents discussed the results of the Terror Free Tomorrow poll showing a dramatic drop in sympathy for anti-American extremists in Indonesia.

"Q: What evidence can you cite from your trip to support that, and how will Americans know for sure that this is having a concrete impact on the image of the United States in the Muslim world?


FORMER PRESIDENT BUSH: ...[T]here's a great poll that we were shown today, a polling of Indonesia, the mood of Indonesians, the view of Indonesians towards the United States of America. And it's a dramatic change, when they've seen the kindness, the outpouring of support for the tsunami victims. That has turned public opinion very much in favor of the United States.

FORMER PRESIDENT CLINTON: Yes, I urge you to get it. It's on the Internet now...."

For the full remarks, click
here.

Washington Times (3/9/05)
 
Columnist Helle Dale wrote: "Last week at the Heritage Foundation, the non-profit group Terror Free Tomorrow published the results of the first post-tsunami public opinion poll of Indonesian attitudes toward the United States and the war of terror. The results were, as the group's president Kenneth Ballen noted, nothing less than amazing. 'This is a stunning turnaround for the United States in the war against terrorism,' he said. 'It is the first major shift in Muslim public opinion since September 11.'... Terror Free Tomorrow, which advocates thorough opinion polling throughout the Muslim world to identify specifics and trends in anti-American sentiment, chose Indonesia precisely because it is the largest Muslim nation in the world. It is also a new democracy, which makes opinion polling a lot easier. If we are to engage in effective public diplomacy, that kind of information is invaluable, and we need lots more of it. With democratic trends sweeping the Arab world, now is a good time to get started."

Washington Times (3/5/05)

"'This is just plain good news, and represents a huge sea change. Favorable feelings for the U.S. have increased dramatically, indicating we may be on the verge of turning the corner in this region,' said Ken Ballen, president of District-based Terror Free Tomorrow, which sponsored the poll. Founded last year, the nonprofit organization advocates the idea that global terrorists can be defeated 'by undermining the support base that empowers them,' according to Mr. Ballen.
The premise has won endorsements for the group from Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican;Warren Rudman, former Republican senator from New Hampshire; and September 11 commission members Lee Hamilton and Thomas Kean." For the full Washington Times story about Terror Free Tomorrow and its poll of Indonesians, click
here.

National Public Radio (3/6/05)

"American military efforts to help victims of the Christmas weekend tsunami may be softening public opinion toward the United States in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim majority nation. A poll carried out by an Indonesian firm on behalf of a US non-profit group called Terror Free Tomorrow shows that more than 60 percent of Indonesians view the United States more favorably after the tsunami relief effort. Before the tsunami, polls showed that fewer than 15 percent of Indonesians had a favorable impression of the US."  To listen to the full story, click here.

Radio Australia (3/5/05)

Covered the Terror Free Tomorrow poll of Indonesians. Click
here.

Pakistan Dawn (3/6/05)

Covered the Terror Free Tomorrow poll of Indonesians. Click
here.

Straits Times (3/7/05)

"The survey was commissioned by Terror Free Tomorrow, a US-based non-profit group aiming to defeat global terrorism by undermining its support base. The results of the poll were released in Washington on Friday. 'This is a stunning turnaround for the United States in the war against terrorism," said organization president Kenneth Ballen. "It is the first major shift in Muslim public opinion since Sept 11.'He also said he would be conducting more extensive research in Indonesia on the results of the poll." For the full story, click
here.

U.S. News & World Report (3/14/05)

The Washington Whispers column quoted Ken Ballen regarding the shrinking terrorist support base in Indonesia. Click
here.

Reuters (3/4/05)

Reuters covered the release of Terror Free Tomorrow's groundbreaking and revealing poll of Indonesians at a conference sponsored by The Heritage Foundation. Click
here for the full Reuters story. Other publications that published the Reuters story include:
ABC News: click here. The Washington Post: click here. The Boston Globe: click here. The Afghanistan Times: click here.

Jakarta Post (3/5/05)

"American aid to tsunami victims has produced the first substantial shift in public opinion in the Muslim world since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, reflecting more support for the United States and less for Osama Bin Laden, according to a poll released on Friday...The poll was...commissioned by Terror Free Tomorrow, a U.S.-based nonprofit group that seeks to defeat global terrorism by undermining the support base that empowers extremists."

Metro TV Indonesia (3/4/05)
 
Indonesia's top TV station interviewed President Ken Ballen about Terror Free Tomorrow's poll of Indonesians on terrorism-related issues.

CNN Radio (3/4/05)

Ken Ballen was interviewed about Terror Free Tomorrow and its recent poll of Indonesians.

United Press International (1/28/05)

"A poll released by the research firm Ipsos Public Affairs on Tuesday found that 57 percent of those surveyed want to increase aid to Indonesia. The poll was conducted by Ipsos for the organization Terror Free Tomorrow. 'The poll demonstrates the strong commitment Americans have to helping the world's largest Muslim nation in its time of need.' said Kenneth Ballen, President of Terror Free Tomorrow.
By a nearly 10-to-1 margin (88 percent to 9 percent), Americans also want to provide at least as much aid to Indonesia as Japan and Germany, two large donors and the second- and third-largest developed economies. 'This is a unique opportunity to rebuild not only Indonesia, but also the reputation of the United States among Indonesians,' Ballen added, noting that global terrorist groups have used record-high levels of anti-American sentiment to make significant inroads throughout Indonesia, the largest Muslim majority country in the world and the one hardest hit by the tsunami."