Most Americans and Europeans believe that
terrorism is the most critical threat to their countries,
according to a Worldviews 2002 survey. The survey also shows
that large majorities of Europeans and Americans support the
use of military force to combat terrorism.
Background
Worldviews 2002, a survey of how more than 9,000 Americans
and Europeans look at the world and at each other after the
terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, was
undertaken by The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations and
the German Marshall Fund of the United States. The full
results will be released on 2 October.
Among the key findings of the European
report:
- Europeans believe US foreign policy contributed to
9/11. - Europeans are more critical than Americans of the
Bush administration's handling of foreign policy. - Europeans, as well as Americans, give conditional
support for an attack on Iraq. - Europeans and Americans share threat
perceptions. - Europeans and Americans share fundamental
worldviews. - Europeans and Americans share support for
internationalism. - Europeans are ready to take on "superpower"
status. - Europeans and Americans disagree over division of
labor in efforts to secure global stability. - Europeans are as willing as Americans to use force in
a broad range of circumstances.
Among the key findings of the US
report:
- Terrorism troubles Americans more than any other
problem or threat, but is not a preoccupation. - Public interest in world news is the strongest it has
been in the last three decades. - More Americans support an active foreign policy to
deal with a wide range of international problems. - Americans show high support for multilateral, rather
than unilateral, approaches to foreign policy. - Americans show a readiness to use military force,
especially to fight terrorism and when done
multilaterally. An increased majority favors
assassination of terrorist leaders. - Americans back an invasion of Iraq, but only with UN
and allies' support. - Americans support greater spending on intelligence
and homeland security; increased numbers, though still
only a minority, support greater spending on
defense. - Nonmilitary approaches to combating terrorism, such
as working through an International Criminal Court,
garner very high support. - Americans fear Islamic fundamentalism and demonstrate
ambivalence about Muslims, but reject the inevitability
of a "clash of civilizations." - Despite a high overall job performance rating for
President Bush, a modest majority gives the Bush
administration positive ratings on its handling of
terrorism, and only a third do so on Iraq.
Craig Kennedy, President of GMF,
commented the survey: "Despite reports of a rift between US
and European governments, our survey finds more
similarities than differences in how the American and
European publics view the larger world. In facing a world
transformed, there is fundamental agreement regarding
friends, enemies, and the need for both the European Union
and the United States to play cooperative roles in world
affairs."