Worst Decisions Results

Ranking Decision Total Selections Selections as % of All Responses Weighted Total
1 Invasion of Iraq (2003) 275 87.86% 1924
2 Deployment of Combat Forces to Vietnam (1965) 148 47.28% 1000
3 Indian Removal Act (1830) 154 49.20% 999
4 Support for the Overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh (1953) 160 51.12% 745
5 Senate Rejection of the Treaty of Versailles (1919) 109 34.82% 742
6 Forcible Removal of Cherokee Nation (1838) 116 37.06% 665
7 Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement (2017) 135 43.13% 647
8 Limits on Jewish Refugees from Germany (1939-1944) 124 39.62% 617
9 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) 95 30.35% 574
10 Bombing of Nagasaki (1945) 90 28.75% 561
11 Secret Bombing and Invasion of Cambodia (1970) 105 33.55% 524
12 Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) 121 38.66% 506
13 Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961) 117 37.38% 472
14 Support for the Overthrow of Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz Coup (1954) 100 31.95% 408
15 (tie) Annexation of the Philippines (1899) 79 25.24% 380
15 (tie) Bombing of Hiroshima (1945) 58 18.53% 380
17 Enhanced Interrogation of Terrorism Detainees (2002) 89 28.43% 360
18 Invasion of Afghanistan (2001) 72 23.00% 342
19 Immigration Act of 1924 73 23.32% 327
20 Support for the Overthrow of Salvador Allende (1973) 87 27.80% 326
21 Smoot-Hawley Tariff (1930) 57 18.21% 301
22 Nonrecognition of Haiti (1804) 65 20.77% 297
23 Crossing the 38th Parallel in the Korean War (1950) 50 15.97% 276
24 Overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem (1963) 49 15.65% 255
25 Iran-Contra Affair (1986-1987) 81 25.88% 249
26 Mexican-American War (1846-1848) 50 15.97% 247
27 Withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal (2018) 89 28.43% 237
28 Refusal to Recognize People’s Republic of China (1949) 52 16.61% 233
29 Withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (2017) 63 20.13% 224
30 Support for the Mujahideen in Afghanistan (1981-1989) 45 14.38% 187
31 Intervention in Russia (1918-1920) 36 11.50% 174
32 NATO Expansion (1994) 41 13.10% 173
33 Spanish-American War (1898) 23 7.35% 133
34 War of 1812 24 7.67% 130
35 (tie) Embargo of 1807/Non-Intercourse Act of 1808 20 6.39% 117
35 (tie) Neutrality Acts (1935-1939) 20 6.39% 117
36 Truman Doctrine (1947) 23 7.35% 115
37 Dawes Act (1887) 26 8.31% 111
38 Platt Amendment (1901) 23 7.35% 99
39 Withdrawal from ABM Treaty (2001) 26 8.31% 96
40 (tie) Treaty of Versailles (1919) 14 4.47% 85
40 (tie) Recognition of Israel (1948) 18 5.75% 85
42 Annexation of Hawaii (1898) 18 5.75% 84
43 (tie) Nonrecognition of New Latin American States (1818) 18 5.75% 81
43 (tie) Indian Appropriations Act of 1871 16 5.11% 81
44 Intervention in Libya (2011) 23 7.35% 78
45 (tie) Entry into World War I (1917) 13 4.15% 73
45 (tie) Embargo on Aviation Fuel, Scrap iron, and Oil to Japan (1940-1941) 13 4.15% 73
47 Management of the Collapse of the Soviet Union (1990-1991) 13 4.15% 69
48 (tie) Declaration of Neutrality in World War I (1914) 11 3.51% 63
48 (tie) Senate Rejection of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1999) 17 5.43% 63
50 Monroe Doctrine (1823) 10 3.19% 58
51 (tie) Indian Appropriations Act of 1851 16 5.11% 57
51 (tie) Admitting the Shah of Iran into the United States (1979) 20 6.39% 57
53 (tie) Vietnamization (1969) 12 3.83% 51
53 (tie) North American Free Trade Agreement (1993) 13 4.15% 51
55 Iran Nuclear Deal (2015) 8 2.56% 50
56 (tie) Dollar Diplomacy (1909-1913) 11 3.51% 49
56 (tie) Intervention in Nicaragua (1912) 19 6.07% 49
58 Entry into Korean War (1950) 13 4.15% 47
59 Economic Decoupling from China (2018-2020) 15 4.79% 43
60 Annexation of Texas (1845) 12 3.83% 41
61 Occupation of Veracruz (1913) 8 2.56% 40
62 (tie) Suppression of the Boxer Rebellion (1900) 9 2.88% 38
62 (tie) Interventions in the Dominican Republic (1912, 1916) 16 5.11% 38
64 Handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) 5 1.60% 31
65 (tie) Yalta Conference (1945) 7 2.24% 29
65 (tie) Support for Israel in Yom Kippur War (1973) 10 3.19% 29
67 (tie) Intervention in Lebanon (1982) 0 0.00% 23
67 (tie) Permanent Normal Trade Relations for China (2000) 0 0.00% 23
68 Pershing Expedition (1916) 9 2.88% 19
69 Teller Amendment (1898) 10 3.19% 17
70 Jay Treaty (1795) 3 0.96% 16
71 Washington Naval Conference and the Four-Power, Five-Power, and Nine-Power Treaties (1921-1922) 3 0.96% 15
72 (tie) Creation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1947) 2 0.64% 13
72 (tie) Intervention in Kosovo (1999) 2 0.64% 13
74 (tie) Louisiana Purchase (1803) 8 2.56% 10
74 (tie) Creation of the United Nations (1945) 2 0.64% 10
74 (tie) Liberation of Kuwait (1991) 1 0.32% 10
77 (tie) Oregon Treaty (1846) 2 0.64% 8
77 (tie) Trent Affair Diplomacy (1861) 1 0.32% 8
77 (tie) Open Door Policy with China (1899-1900) 1 0.32% 8
80 (tie) Lend-Lease Act (1941) 4 1.28% 7
80 (tie) Suez Canal Crisis (1956) 1 0.32% 7
80 (tie) Taiwan Relations Act (1979) 4 1.28% 7
80 (tie) Override of Reagan’s Veto of the Anti-Apartheid Sanctions Bill (1986) 3 0.96% 7
84 (tie) Proclamation of Neutrality (1793) 2 0.64% 6
84 (tie) Adams-Onis (Transcontinental) Treaty (1819) 4 1.28% 6
84 (tie) Good Neighbor Policy Toward Latin America (1933) 1 0.32% 6
87 Formal Recognition of the People’s Republic of China (1979) 1 0.32% 5
88 (tie) Creation of NATO (1949) 2 0.64% 3
88 (tie) Creation of the World Trade Organization (1995) 4 1.28% 3
90 (tie) Alliance for Progress (1961) 2 0.64% 2
90 (tie) Camp David Accords (1978) 1 0.32% 2
92 (tie) Potsdam Agreement (1945) 1 0.32% 1
92 (tie) Panama Canal Treaties (1978) 1 0.32% 1
94 (tie) Treaty of Alliance with France (1778) 1 0.32% 0
94 (tie) Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves (1807) 1 0.32% 0
94 (tie) Anglo-American Convention of 1818 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Purchase of Alaska (1867) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) American Relief Mission to Post-WWI Europe (1919) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Destroyers-for-Bases Deal (1940) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Tehran Conference (1943) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Creation of the Bretton Woods System (1944) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Creation of the Organization of American States (1948) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Marshall Plan (1948) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Berlin Airlift (1948-1949) 2 0.64% 0
94 (tie) Intervention in Lebanon (1958) 2 0.64% 0
94 (tie) Limited Test Ban Treaty (1963) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Immigration Act of 1965 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Kennedy Round of Trade Negotiations (1967) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (1968) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Opening to China (1971-72) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) SALT I Agreement and the ABM Treaty (1972) 1 0.32% 0
94 (tie) Helsinki Final Act (1975) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Egyptian-Israeli Peace Agreement (1979) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Salt II Treaty (1979) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (1987) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) Support for the Reunification of Germany (1990-1991) 0 0.00% 0
94 (tie) START Agreements (1991, 1993) 0 0.00% 0