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Redefining U.S.-West European Relations in the 1990s: West European Public Opinion in the Post-Cold War Era

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2013

Steven K. Smith  and
Douglas A. Wertman
Steven K. Smith
Affiliation:
U.S. Department of Justice
Douglas A. Wertman
Affiliation:
United States Information Agency
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Extract

Fundamental U.S.-West European security and economic relations are being subjected to a thorough re-examination—and potential redefinition—on both sides of the Atlantic. This is occurring as the Cold War is now a topic for historians and as the economies of the 12 European Community (EC) members become increasingly integrated as a result of the EC's 1992 initiative and its ambitious plan for the 1990s. The former Warsaw Pact nations are working to develop stronger economic, political and even security ties with both the United States and Western Europe. The dramatically reduced security threat coupled with strong domestic budget pressures in the United States are leading to a substantial reduction in the American military presence in Western Europe. On the economic front, the EC and the European Free Trade Area are forming a gigantic 19-country free trade area, with the potential of future expansion to include some East European nations. Meanwhile, the United States and Western Europe continue their prolonged deadlock in GATT trade negotiations primarily over the EC's large agricultural subsidies.

The attitudes of European publics toward the United States will play a critical role as European and American leaders sort out their new relationship. Therefore, it is of interest to scholars and policymakers alike to examine the trends in West European public opinion as they relate to America, its policies and its perceived role in the post-Cold War future.

Type
Research Article
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , June 1992 , pp. 188 - 195
Copyright
Copyright © The American Political Science Association 1992

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Footnotes

*

The views expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the United States Government, the U.S. Department of Justice or the United States Information Agency. The authors would like to thank Ronald Hinckley, Gordon Tubbs, Steven Wagner and Nancy Walker of the U.S. Information Agency, Raymond Sexton of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Threat Analysis Center, and Steven Dillingham of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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