 Richard C. Eichenberg
- Int'l Relations, Foreign Policy, West Europe
Public Opinion and National Security in
Western Europe
Synopsis:
This book describes and analyzes public opinion on security issues in
four European countries: Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and
West Germany. Drawing on hundreds of governmental, commercial and
scholarly surveys since the 1950's, the author analyzes the historical
evolution and domestic polarization of public opinion on the state of
military balance, confidence in deterrence, nuclear strategy and arms
control, the NATO Alliance, and the defense budget. The author
concludes that the domestic security consensus remains intact, but it
will be increasingly challenged by both the polarization of
traditional party approaches and by the views of the younger,
"successor generation". NATO policies will command consensus only if
they continue the dual approach of strength and negotiation that the
Alliance adopted in the Harmel Doctrine of 1967. Contrary to popular
images of a gap between American and European views, the author also
shows that European and American sentiments are similar. This book
contains the most comprehensive available bibliography of public
opinion and archival sources from governmental, commercial and
scholarly sources in the United States and Western Europe. The
appendix guides the readers to the most useful archives and data
sources for opinion surveys on security issues.
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