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What's the one thing that Arabs, Turks and Iranians can all agree on?

Majorities in eight Muslim countries blame “corrupt, repressive and unrepresentative governments” and wrong-headed religious leaders for the rise of extremist groups such as the Islamic State.

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about counter-terrorism and the United States fight against Islamic State during an address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, December 6, 2015.  REUTERS/Saul Loeb/Pool - RTX1XHB7
US President Barack Obama speaks about counterterrorism and the United States' fight against the Islamic State during an address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Dec. 6, 2015. — REUTERS/Saul Loeb/Pool

A new survey of eight Middle East countries finds consensus on two issues — that the group that calls itself the Islamic State (IS) is a major threat and that the United States' role in countering extremist violence in the region is “extremely negative.”

Conducted in September before recent terrorist attacks in France and the United States, the face-to-face surveys with 7,400 adults in six Arab states plus Turkey and Iran also found wide support among Arabs for the creation of a joint Arab force to try to resolve conflicts in Syria, Iraq and potentially to serve as peacekeepers in a Palestinian state.

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