NATO At 70: How Strong Is Public Support? (Forbes)

[TomSea]

NATO At 70: How Strong Is Public Support?
Karlyn Bowman

On April 3, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will address a joint session of Congress. This year marks NATO’s 70th anniversary, and the invitation to the Secretary General was extended by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. It came as Donald Trump continued to criticize the value of the NATO alliance and European nations’ commitments to it. Where does US public opinion stand today, and how have attitudes changed over time?

George Gallup began asking questions about post-war alliances in the early 1940s. In 1943, 61% told Gallup that the US and Great Britain should make a permanent military alliance “that is, agree to come to each other’s defense immediately if the other is attacked at any future time,” while a quarter were opposed. People were more skeptical about a mutual defense alliance with Russia—39% were in favor 37% opposed.

In 1948, a year before NATO’s founding, a solid majority of Americans favored a permanent military alliance of the United States and all the Western European countries participating in the Marshall Plan. In early 1949, among those who had heard about the North Atlantic Security Pact “which calls for a promise of mutual aid from all members of the alliance if any single member nation is attacked,” 76% were in favor. In a question asked that May, 67% said the US should ratify the treaty. As the alliance became more established in the public mind, pollsters asked about it only occasionally.

Read more at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bowmanmarsico/2019/04/01/nato-at-70-how-strong-is-public-support/#10424be67b63