NATO: growth or collapse?
In the "Pew Research Center" recently summed up the survey. It was about the attitude of the respondents to the Ukrainian crisis and the North Atlantic alliance. As it turned out, the majority of survey participants are in favor of providing economic assistance to Ukraine and Ukraine’s admission to NATO. However, citizens of the respondents would not like to supply weapon Kiev or tighten economic sanctions against Moscow. Not less than half of the respondents from Germany, France and Italy do not want to use military force to protect their NATO allies from “Russian aggression”.
Interview "Pew Research Center" covered 11.116 respondents in eight NATO member countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as in Russia and Ukraine. The survey was conducted from April 6 to May 15 2015.
The eight NATO member states surveyed by the Pew Research Center constitute 78% of the population of NATO countries, give 88% of their gross domestic product and 94% of defense spending.
In some NATO member countries, “widespread public concern” has spread over the fact that after the Ukrainian crisis, Russia poses a military threat to neighboring countries. Seven out of ten Poles say that Moscow is a “serious danger,” sociologists say. Approximately six out of ten Americans (59%) and about half of the British (53%) and the French (51%) say the same thing. At the same time, only 44% of Italians and 38% of Germans find Russia a “main threat”.
On the whole, the respondents positively perceive NATO (62%). However, there are differences across countries. For example, in Spain, more than half of the respondents "unfavorably" belong to NATO. In the US, the majority of Democrats (56%) speak favorably about the alliance, but only four out of ten Republicans (43%) share this view.
Considering “the full dispute history Poland and Russia ”, as well as the proximity of Poland to Ukraine, sociologists are not surprised that 74% of Poles expressed a“ favorable opinion of NATO ”. In their opinion, the alliance guarantees their security. Polish alliance support since 2013 has increased by 10 percentage points.
They are supported by NATO and the French (64%), the Italians (64%) and the British (60%). On the other hand, about a third of the French (34%) and about a quarter of Italians (26%) express a negative opinion about NATO.
Germany showed the greatest change in support for NATO: there, the positive opinion fell by as much as 18 points from 2009 of the year - from 73% to 55%. At the same time, 46% of Germans living in the east speak positively about NATO, and 43% speak negatively.
As for the United States, public attitudes towards NATO contradict the role of the United States in the organization. US defense spending gives 73% of the defense expenditure of the alliance as a whole; this is one of the highest shares of the total expenditure of the alliance since the beginning of the 1950's. Meanwhile, only 49% of Americans have a positive opinion about the alliance. The rate does not change with 2013 year. In the 2010 year and 2011 year it was 54%. But the proportion of Americans who negatively assess the role of NATO has increased from 21% in 2010 to 31% in 2015.
57% of respondents support the idea of Ukraine’s membership in NATO - “in connection with the situation in which Russia is involved”. Ukraine’s membership is approved by about two thirds of Canadians (65%), about six out of ten Americans (62%) and Poles (59%). Germans (36%) and Italians (35%) significantly less support Ukraine’s membership in NATO. Most Germans (57%) and many Italians (46%) oppose this proposal.
Respondents in general, “relatively little” support the idea of supplying weapons to the Ukrainian government (41%). Despite “the general antipathy of the Poles to Russia, their concern about the military threat from Russia and their accusations against Moscow,” only half (50%) wants NATO countries to send weapons to Kiev. Opinions of Americans on this issue were divided as follows: 46% supported sending weapons, 43% opposed. Most older Americans (56%) are in favor of arming Ukrainians, while more than half of young Americans (54%) are against. Finally, four of the eight countries spoke openly against helping Ukrainians. Strong opposition in Germany (77%), Spain (66%) and Italy (65%).
Approximately half or less of respondents in six of the eight countries surveyed reported that their country should use military force if Russia attacks the neighboring country, an ally of NATO. And in at least three of the eight NATO countries said that their governments should not use military force in such circumstances. There is strong opposition to the “armed response” in Germany (58%), France (53%) and Italy (51%). Germans and French aged 50 and older massively oppose the use of military force against Russia (65% and 59%, respectively), but younger generations from 18 to 29 oppose a quieter: 50% - Germans, 48% - French .
More than half of Americans (56%) and Canadians (53%) are ready to respond to Russian military aggression against other NATO countries. Many British people (49%) and Poles (48%) also support following the North Atlantic Treaty's 5 article. The Spaniards divided: 48% support this, 47% - against.
On average, 68% of respondents think that the US will support a NATO ally. So say Canadians (72%), Spaniards (70%), Germans (68%) and Italians (68%) - they are all confident that the United States will send military aid to the region. In many countries, young Europeans express strong faith in the United States, who will be ready to defend their allies. Interestingly, the Poles are not very sure about this: only 49% believe that Washington will fulfill its obligations under the 5 article.
Now about the image of Russia.
The Germans do not see Russia or Putin "in a positive light." However, East Germans (40%) twice (19%) are more confident in Putin. And more than a third of them (36%) have a favorable opinion about Russia (compared to 24% of Western Germans). 28% Germans from the east and 40% from the West believe that Russia poses a military threat to its neighbors. People living in West Germany support NATO more (57%) than those who live in the east (46%).
As for the Russians, they have a negative opinion about the Western powers. Most respondents in Russia have a negative attitude towards the United States, NATO, the EU and Germany. And this feeling of hostility has been “intensified” in recent years.
The current survey showed that eight out of ten Russians have an unfavorable opinion of the United States (81%) and NATO (80%). About half of these people have a very unfavorable opinion about the United States (49%) and NATO (50%). Only 15% and 12% respectively have favorable opinions about the US and NATO.
At the same time, half of Russians consider NATO to be the main military threat to their country. Another 31% considers NATO a minor threat. Only one out of ten agrees that NATO does not pose a military threat. Older Russians (ages 50 and older) are more willing to recognize the NATO bloc as the main military threat (55%). Younger Russians (aged 18 to 29 years) recognize the North Atlantic Alliance as the main military threat to a lesser extent - 43%.
... Meanwhile, the United States declares its intention to increase its military presence in Europe: the press writes about the possible transfer of F-22 "Raptor" fighter jets to EU states to counter the "Russian threat".
The United States Secretary of the Air Force, Deborah Lee James, at the air show at Le Bourget in France, explained the desire to demonstrate her power to Russia. “For me, the greatest threat is what happens to Russia and its own actions. This is the most important part of why I came to Europe ", - newspaper quoted Deborah James "Sight".
She further called on NATO allies to save defense spending. Many European countries in recent years have cut them off. “We will assure the allies that we stand shoulder to shoulder with them,” said James.
Earlier, the commander of US ground forces in Europe, Lieutenant General Ben Hodges said that the United States plans to deploy heavy weapons in Eastern Europe and the Baltic States. Poland and Lithuania confirmed the fact of negotiations on the deployment of US military equipment, and the Estonian and Latvian military departments supported the Pentagon’s proposal. Before that, the United States transferred several A-10 attack aircraft and F-15 fighter jets to Europe.
“The United States, in cooperation with its allies, seems to have seriously set their sights on the final undermining of the key provision of the Russia-NATO Founding Act of 1997, according to which the alliance undertook to not deploy substantial combat forces on the territory of the mentioned countries on an ongoing basis,” the newspaper Vzglyad cites the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry, which notes that “we are talking about warehousing in Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Estonia, and possibly Hungary, about 1200 armored vehicles, including 250 tanksas well as BMP "Bradley" and artillery systems. "
The Foreign Ministry indicated that Washington justifies its actions by the need to “increase confidence” of European allies in the face of the “Russian threat”. However, in reality “both in Washington and in European capitals are aware that“ the Russian threat ”is nothing more than a myth. It is convenient to use propaganda to cover the responsibility of the United States for the anti-constitutional coup in Ukraine and for the actions of those in Kiev who are not ready to stop the fratricidal war in Donbass. ”
According to Contrpost.com, now there is a "silent collapse" of NATO. What does it mean?
This means that NATO has never had and is not successful: “Everyone sees that NATO has not achieved anything, neither in Libya, nor in Syria, nor in Iran, nor in Iraq and Afghanistan. NATO has nowhere achieved anything. NATO could not show itself in the event of wars in Georgia and Ukraine. NATO has not done a single thing to the end, to a positive resolution of the issue. ”
And if so, then "NATO can not do anything with Russia either with a weapon or with the help of diplomacy and international law."
Well, for now, let us add, the alliance must understand what has become known thanks to the Pew Research Center case study. Especially important here is the cooling to NATO of residents of Germany and the United States. In Germany, alliance support from 2009 has fallen by 18 points - from 73% to 55%, and in the US, only 49% of Americans have a positive opinion about the alliance. Even the Poles, 74% of whom expressed a "favorable opinion of NATO", do not half believe that Washington will fulfill its duties: only 49% believe that the United States will follow the North Atlantic Treaty's 5 article.
Interview "Pew Research Center" covered 11.116 respondents in eight NATO member countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as in Russia and Ukraine. The survey was conducted from April 6 to May 15 2015.
The eight NATO member states surveyed by the Pew Research Center constitute 78% of the population of NATO countries, give 88% of their gross domestic product and 94% of defense spending.
In some NATO member countries, “widespread public concern” has spread over the fact that after the Ukrainian crisis, Russia poses a military threat to neighboring countries. Seven out of ten Poles say that Moscow is a “serious danger,” sociologists say. Approximately six out of ten Americans (59%) and about half of the British (53%) and the French (51%) say the same thing. At the same time, only 44% of Italians and 38% of Germans find Russia a “main threat”.
On the whole, the respondents positively perceive NATO (62%). However, there are differences across countries. For example, in Spain, more than half of the respondents "unfavorably" belong to NATO. In the US, the majority of Democrats (56%) speak favorably about the alliance, but only four out of ten Republicans (43%) share this view.
Considering “the full dispute history Poland and Russia ”, as well as the proximity of Poland to Ukraine, sociologists are not surprised that 74% of Poles expressed a“ favorable opinion of NATO ”. In their opinion, the alliance guarantees their security. Polish alliance support since 2013 has increased by 10 percentage points.
They are supported by NATO and the French (64%), the Italians (64%) and the British (60%). On the other hand, about a third of the French (34%) and about a quarter of Italians (26%) express a negative opinion about NATO.
Germany showed the greatest change in support for NATO: there, the positive opinion fell by as much as 18 points from 2009 of the year - from 73% to 55%. At the same time, 46% of Germans living in the east speak positively about NATO, and 43% speak negatively.
As for the United States, public attitudes towards NATO contradict the role of the United States in the organization. US defense spending gives 73% of the defense expenditure of the alliance as a whole; this is one of the highest shares of the total expenditure of the alliance since the beginning of the 1950's. Meanwhile, only 49% of Americans have a positive opinion about the alliance. The rate does not change with 2013 year. In the 2010 year and 2011 year it was 54%. But the proportion of Americans who negatively assess the role of NATO has increased from 21% in 2010 to 31% in 2015.
57% of respondents support the idea of Ukraine’s membership in NATO - “in connection with the situation in which Russia is involved”. Ukraine’s membership is approved by about two thirds of Canadians (65%), about six out of ten Americans (62%) and Poles (59%). Germans (36%) and Italians (35%) significantly less support Ukraine’s membership in NATO. Most Germans (57%) and many Italians (46%) oppose this proposal.
Respondents in general, “relatively little” support the idea of supplying weapons to the Ukrainian government (41%). Despite “the general antipathy of the Poles to Russia, their concern about the military threat from Russia and their accusations against Moscow,” only half (50%) wants NATO countries to send weapons to Kiev. Opinions of Americans on this issue were divided as follows: 46% supported sending weapons, 43% opposed. Most older Americans (56%) are in favor of arming Ukrainians, while more than half of young Americans (54%) are against. Finally, four of the eight countries spoke openly against helping Ukrainians. Strong opposition in Germany (77%), Spain (66%) and Italy (65%).
Approximately half or less of respondents in six of the eight countries surveyed reported that their country should use military force if Russia attacks the neighboring country, an ally of NATO. And in at least three of the eight NATO countries said that their governments should not use military force in such circumstances. There is strong opposition to the “armed response” in Germany (58%), France (53%) and Italy (51%). Germans and French aged 50 and older massively oppose the use of military force against Russia (65% and 59%, respectively), but younger generations from 18 to 29 oppose a quieter: 50% - Germans, 48% - French .
More than half of Americans (56%) and Canadians (53%) are ready to respond to Russian military aggression against other NATO countries. Many British people (49%) and Poles (48%) also support following the North Atlantic Treaty's 5 article. The Spaniards divided: 48% support this, 47% - against.
On average, 68% of respondents think that the US will support a NATO ally. So say Canadians (72%), Spaniards (70%), Germans (68%) and Italians (68%) - they are all confident that the United States will send military aid to the region. In many countries, young Europeans express strong faith in the United States, who will be ready to defend their allies. Interestingly, the Poles are not very sure about this: only 49% believe that Washington will fulfill its obligations under the 5 article.
Now about the image of Russia.
The Germans do not see Russia or Putin "in a positive light." However, East Germans (40%) twice (19%) are more confident in Putin. And more than a third of them (36%) have a favorable opinion about Russia (compared to 24% of Western Germans). 28% Germans from the east and 40% from the West believe that Russia poses a military threat to its neighbors. People living in West Germany support NATO more (57%) than those who live in the east (46%).
As for the Russians, they have a negative opinion about the Western powers. Most respondents in Russia have a negative attitude towards the United States, NATO, the EU and Germany. And this feeling of hostility has been “intensified” in recent years.
The current survey showed that eight out of ten Russians have an unfavorable opinion of the United States (81%) and NATO (80%). About half of these people have a very unfavorable opinion about the United States (49%) and NATO (50%). Only 15% and 12% respectively have favorable opinions about the US and NATO.
At the same time, half of Russians consider NATO to be the main military threat to their country. Another 31% considers NATO a minor threat. Only one out of ten agrees that NATO does not pose a military threat. Older Russians (ages 50 and older) are more willing to recognize the NATO bloc as the main military threat (55%). Younger Russians (aged 18 to 29 years) recognize the North Atlantic Alliance as the main military threat to a lesser extent - 43%.
... Meanwhile, the United States declares its intention to increase its military presence in Europe: the press writes about the possible transfer of F-22 "Raptor" fighter jets to EU states to counter the "Russian threat".
The United States Secretary of the Air Force, Deborah Lee James, at the air show at Le Bourget in France, explained the desire to demonstrate her power to Russia. “For me, the greatest threat is what happens to Russia and its own actions. This is the most important part of why I came to Europe ", - newspaper quoted Deborah James "Sight".
She further called on NATO allies to save defense spending. Many European countries in recent years have cut them off. “We will assure the allies that we stand shoulder to shoulder with them,” said James.
Earlier, the commander of US ground forces in Europe, Lieutenant General Ben Hodges said that the United States plans to deploy heavy weapons in Eastern Europe and the Baltic States. Poland and Lithuania confirmed the fact of negotiations on the deployment of US military equipment, and the Estonian and Latvian military departments supported the Pentagon’s proposal. Before that, the United States transferred several A-10 attack aircraft and F-15 fighter jets to Europe.
“The United States, in cooperation with its allies, seems to have seriously set their sights on the final undermining of the key provision of the Russia-NATO Founding Act of 1997, according to which the alliance undertook to not deploy substantial combat forces on the territory of the mentioned countries on an ongoing basis,” the newspaper Vzglyad cites the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry, which notes that “we are talking about warehousing in Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Estonia, and possibly Hungary, about 1200 armored vehicles, including 250 tanksas well as BMP "Bradley" and artillery systems. "
The Foreign Ministry indicated that Washington justifies its actions by the need to “increase confidence” of European allies in the face of the “Russian threat”. However, in reality “both in Washington and in European capitals are aware that“ the Russian threat ”is nothing more than a myth. It is convenient to use propaganda to cover the responsibility of the United States for the anti-constitutional coup in Ukraine and for the actions of those in Kiev who are not ready to stop the fratricidal war in Donbass. ”
According to Contrpost.com, now there is a "silent collapse" of NATO. What does it mean?
This means that NATO has never had and is not successful: “Everyone sees that NATO has not achieved anything, neither in Libya, nor in Syria, nor in Iran, nor in Iraq and Afghanistan. NATO has nowhere achieved anything. NATO could not show itself in the event of wars in Georgia and Ukraine. NATO has not done a single thing to the end, to a positive resolution of the issue. ”
And if so, then "NATO can not do anything with Russia either with a weapon or with the help of diplomacy and international law."
“Excuse me, why then NATO? In addition, all recent stress points are created by this criminal organization. Yes, dear reader, according to the author of this article, Michael Overgreen, NATO is undoubtedly a criminal organization. This is now a lot of talk among Western journalists among themselves. The time will come, it will be an open topic of social and political conversations, and, possibly, the reason for criminal convictions in the courts. ”
Well, for now, let us add, the alliance must understand what has become known thanks to the Pew Research Center case study. Especially important here is the cooling to NATO of residents of Germany and the United States. In Germany, alliance support from 2009 has fallen by 18 points - from 73% to 55%, and in the US, only 49% of Americans have a positive opinion about the alliance. Even the Poles, 74% of whom expressed a "favorable opinion of NATO", do not half believe that Washington will fulfill its duties: only 49% believe that the United States will follow the North Atlantic Treaty's 5 article.
Observed and translated by Oleg Chuvakin
- especially for topwar.ru
- especially for topwar.ru
Information