People in 3 major European countries express doubt in US ally: Poll

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
5 Jun 2024 19:43

Just 6% of correspondents in Germany, France, and the UK believe that the US is a "very reliable" guarantor of European security.

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Trees flank the US Capitol building in Washington, D.C., April 2021 (AFP)

Only a small fraction of individuals in Britain, France, and Germany have substantial confidence in the United States to ensure their security over the next decade, a survey released on Wednesday revealed.

The poll, conducted by Eurasia Group's Institute for Global Affairs and YouGov from a pool of 3,360 adults, comes as the US presidential election nears, with the former president and leading Republican candidate Donald Trump making statements that have left the nation's allies in a state of uncertainty.

Surveying across three Western European countries, the Institute found that the majority of respondents saw the US as at least "somewhat" reliable.

Just 6% saw the US as a "very reliable" guarantor of European security over the next decade, as compared to 24% of Americans who considered their country to be "very reliable".

Mark Hannah, a senior fellow at the institute, remarked that although this was the first time the question was asked in the annual survey, the notable lack of confidence in the US was surprising, particularly in light of President Joe Biden's unwavering support for Ukraine since the war began.

"The fact that the United States has contributed to the extent it has, and yet only six percent of Western European respondents thought the United States was very reliable, is remarkable and shows this lack of certainty or confidence in American guarantees," he said.

Hannah, previously involved in Democratic Party politics, suggested that Trump's criticism of NATO and aid to Ukraine, which he deemed as wasteful and unfair to the US, were likely the primary cause of the skepticism.

Most individuals in the surveyed European countries, as well as within the US, expressed support for Americans maintaining or increasing their forces in Europe. However, only a small percentage believed that the US should shoulder the "primary" responsibility for the continent's defense.

In France, where there has been longstanding advocacy for Europe to establish its own security system, 31% of respondents expressed the view that it should oversee and manage its own defense and cultivate "more neutral" ties with Washington, a figure higher than in other surveyed countries.

Despite Biden's consistent support for US-Europe relations throughout his career, he is trailing behind Trump in the polls.

In the survey, the US president received minimal support from Europeans when asked which country leader sets the most positive example for the world.

In contrast, French President Emmanuel Macron garnered more substantial backing, with 33% of Germans and 25% of French respondents indicating that they believed he set the most positive example.