Public opinion towards the Issues of European defense and military intervention

Abstract

This article deals with the issue of European defense from the perspective of public opinion. It begins with a brief discussion of the nature and role of public opinion in relation to defense and security issues. It then examines the evidence on the level of public support for the Europeanisation of decision-making on defense issues and for a common European security and defense policy. Having considered the question of public support in these general terms, this paper then studies the current state of public opinion on the issue of military action against Iraq, including, for comparative purposes, some evidence on public opinion in the United States. The article concludes with an assessment..