US-WEST EUROPEAN RELA nons DURING THE REAGAN YEARS

US-WEST EUROPEAN RELA nons DURING THE REAGAN YEARS

Also by Douglas A. Wertman and published by St. Martin's Press: ITALIAN CHRISTIAN DEMOCRACY: The Politics of Dominance (with Robert Leonardi)

US-West European Relations during the Reagan Years The Perspective of West European Publics Steven K. Smith and Douglas A. Wertman Palgrave Macmillan

ISBN 978-1-349-12739-9 ISBN 978-1-349-12737-5 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-12737-5 Steven K. Smith and Douglas A. Wertman, 1992 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1 st edition 1992 All rights reserved. For information, write: Scholarly and Reference Division, St. Martin's Press, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 First published in the United States of America in 1992 ISBN 978-0312-06838-7 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Smith, Steven K. US-West European relations during the Reagan years: the perspective of West European publics/steven K. Smith and Douglas A. Wertman p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-312-06838-7 I. Europe-Foreign relations-united States. 2. United States -Foreign relations-europe. 3. Public opinion-europe. 4. United States-Foreign public opinion, European. 5. United States-Foreign relations-1981-1898. I. Wertman, Douglas A. II. Title. D1065.U5S66 1992 327.7304--dc20 91-23539 CIP

To Lauren, Colin, and Brendan -S.K.S. To Ellen, John, and Ann -D.A.W.

Contents List of Tables and Figures Preface: A Note on Data and Terminology Acknowledgements Vlll Xll XIV 1 Introduction 2 NATO and Western Security 3 INF Deployment in Western Europe 4 The American Image 5 The Soviet Image and Public Diplomacy 6 US-Soviet Relations 7 US Public Diplomacy Efforts in Western Europe 8 Combating International Terrorism 9 US-West European Economic Relations 10 Conclusions Epilogue: The Gulf Conflict 254 Appendix 1: Chronology of Events in US-West European Relations, 1979-89 258 Appendix 2: List of USIA Surveys used in this Book, 1976-91 261 Appendix 3: Additional Data Tables 266 Notes and References 289 Select Bibliography 307 Index 315 1 9 51 91 129 161 184 198 218 248 Vll

List of Tables and Figures Tables 2.1 Concern over Soviet and US political pressure on their country, April 1987 18 2.2 Support for NATO versus neutrality, 1981-87 22 2.3 Perceived essentiality of NATO, 1981-89 24 2.4 Perceived necessity of NATO, July 1989 26 2.5 Country which would come to their aid in case of attack, July 1988 29 2.6 Support for American troops in Western Europe, May- June 1984 31 2.7 Necessity of US military presence in Western Europe, October 1988 33 2.8 West German attitudes on withdrawal of US troops from Western Europe, 1956-89 34 2.9 Attitudes on the use of nuclear weapons, 1981-87 40 2.10 Attitudes on SDI research, 1985-87 44 2.11 Support for defence spending, 1968-88 48 3.1 Activities done to show position on INF stationing in their country, June 1983 60 3.2 Support for INF deployment when linked to arms talks, March 1981-April 1983 68 3.3 Support for INF deployment when information on Soviet missiles included in the question, 1981-82 71 3.4 Impact on support for INF deployment of information on Soviet INF missiles, October 1981 72 3.5 Support for INF deployment, 1983-85 74 3.6 British views on INF deployment, 1981-84 78 3.7 West German views on INF deployment, 1983 82 3.8 Why INF supporters favour deployment, May 1984 85 3.9 Why INF opponents oppose deployment, May 1984 86 4.1 Anti-Americanism in Western Europe, 1982-88 96 4.2 Favourable opinion of the USA, 1981-89 98 4.3 Favourable opinion of the USA in Western Europe, late 1980s 99 4.4 Good/Bad opinion of the USA, 1954-1984 102 viii

List of Tables and Figures ix 4.5 Perception of whether American values are similar to or different from their own, June 1985 105 4.6 Attitudes on US society, September-October 1987 108 4.7 Trust in Americans, March-April 1986 110 4.8 Trust of Western Europeans in 18 different peoples, March-April 1986 112 4.9 Confidence in US foreign policy, 1960-89 117 4.l0 Effects of US policies, 1982-89 119 4.11 How the USA and Soviet Union compare on various aspects of foreign policy, 1987 122 4.12 Overall opinion of President Reagan, Fall 1987 125 5.1 Soviet image in Western Europe, October 1989 l34 5.2 Pro- and anti-soviet feelings among West Europeans, 1983-89 l36 5.3 Improvements in opinion toward the Soviet Union, 1987 l38 5.4 European confidence in Soviet foreign policy, October 1989 141 5.5 Soviet policies promote peace, 1982-9 143 5.6 Gorbachev image in Western Europe, October 1989 145 5.7 Protection of human rights in the Soviet Union, 1977-89 148 5.8 Soviet protection of human rights, September 1987 149 5.9 West European relations with the Soviet Union, 1985-87 153 6.l US-Soviet summits, 1955-90 162 6.2 US-Soviet relations, 1985-88 163 6.3 Geneva summit accomplishments, December 1985 169 6.4 SDI and arms control, November-December 1985 170 6.5 Western Europeans judge Geneva summit leaders, December 1985 171 6.6 Nuclear arms control accomplishments at Reykjavik, October 1986 174 6.7 US defence commitment to Western Europe in wake of INF Treaty, December 1987 177 6.8 West European support for INF Treaty, December 1987 178 6.9 Credit for progress on arms control negotiations, November 1987 179 6.10 Washington summit accomplishments, December 1987 179 6.11 Moscow summit accomplishments, June 1988 181

x List of Tables and Figures 6.12 US protects West European interests at the summits, 1986-88 182 7.1 Perception of media coverage of Gorbachev and Reagan, September 1987 186 7.2 Selected VOA Europe 1988-89 listenership rates 189 7.3 WORLDNET interactive programs requested and produced and broadcast to Western Europe, 1986-90 191 7.4 Primary sources of information on US-European relations, October 1987 194 7.5 Source of information on arms control and international affairs, 1986-87 194 7.6 Media habits and education level, October 1987 195 7.7 Sources of information by attitudes toward the US, October 1987 196 8.1 Countries and organizations which promote international terrorism, February 1981 199 8.2 Attitudes on actions against countries which harbor or support terrorists, April 1985 200 8.3 Nations supportirlg terrorism in other countries, March-April 1985 203 8.4 Pre-raid support for US military action against Libya, April 1986 209 8.5 Support for US military action against Libya, April 1986 210 8.6 President Reagan too quick to employ US forces, April 1986 211 8.7 Actions against terrorist supporting countries, April 1987 213 8.8 Should governments negotiate for release of hostages, April 1987 215 8.9 Iran-Contra issue damages US credibility among informed Western Europeans, April 1987 217 9.1 Perceived economic health of their country, 1977-89 221 9.2 Co-ordination of economic policies with the US, 1987 224 9.3 How much the USA takes into account the views of Western Europe on economic decisions important to Europe, 1979-85 225 9.4 US goals in its economic dealings with Western Europe, 1977-84 227 9.5 US co-operativeness in resolving economic problems with Western Europe, 1983-88 228

List of Tables and Figures Xl 9.6 Effects of US policies on their economy, 1982-89 230 9.7 Perceptions of the effects on their country's economy of US, Japanese, and EC policies, 1982-89 232 9.8 Support for free trade in the 1980s 235 9.9 US trade policy - free trade or protectionist?, 1976-89 236 9.10 Western European perceptions of US barriers to their country's manufactured products, 1979-85 239 A.l Confidence in US foreign policy 267 A.2 Effects of US policies 273 A.3 Overall opinion of the Soviet Union, 1981-89 275 A.4 Confidence in Soviet foreign policy, 1982-89 278 A.5 Effects of Soviet foreign policies, 1982-89 281 A.6 US-Soviet relations, 1985-88 283 A.7 Effects of US economic policies 285 Figures 5.1 Favourable image of the Soviet Union, 1981-89 5.2 Confidence in Soviet foreign Policy, 1982-89 131 140

Preface: A Note on Data and Terminology This book, which focuses on West European public opinion on the USA, the Soviet Union, security issues, economic issues, and terrorism, is based on a unique data source of more than 80 multi-country public opinion surveys conducted in Western Europe in the 1980s. In a few cases, longer-term trends going back as far as the 1950s are analysed. The bulk of the surveys used in this book were commissioned by the United States Information Agency's Office of Research. Any survey not specifically identified as to source is a USIA survey. USIA surveys are referred to in the text or tables by the month, year, and a brief title. Appendix 2 then gives a list of all these USIA surveys, including the names of all countries in which the survey was conducted and the number of cases in each country. The source for non-usia surveys is given in the notes. All USIA surveys done prior to late 1985 were personal interview surveys; since then, USIA has done both personal interview and telephone surveys. While the personal interview and telephone surveys were both based on national adult populations, the different sampling frames and techniques, the kind of weighting required in telephone surveys because telephone penetration is less than 100 per cent, and the fact that one cannot ask all questions in a telephone survey that can be asked in a personal interview survey argue for keeping the two separate. Therefore, we have been careful to identify whenever a survey was done by telephone (any survey not specifically so identified was done by personal interview), to report t h findings ~ from personal interview and telephone surveys in different tables, and to avoid using the two together in discussing trends. When analysing an opinion, one can look at the direction (pro/con, for/against, favourable/unfavourable, etc.), the intensity (whether the opinion is held strongly or weakly), salience (how important the issue or opinion is to the individual), or informational content (the degree of knowledge on which the opinion is based). All of these aspects are examined in this book when the data permit. One important distinction, often confused, is between the extent of opinion and the intensity of an opinion. When we say feelings are broadly or widely or Xll

Preface xiii overwhelmingly held, we are talking about the extent, or how many people hold these views; when we say that feelings are strongly held, we are talking about the intensity of views. Because all surveys involve sampling and measurement error, we have adopted the following conventions in our terminology. We only call something a majority when 54 per cent or more hold that view. A plurality means that a particular response is given to a question by more people than give any other response. However, if the margin in the number holding two different views is 3 per cent or less, we call opinion divided, and, if the margin is in the range of 4 to 6 per cent, we will normally say that opinion is roughly divided or close to divided. STEVEN K. SMITH DOUGLAS A. WERTMAN