9
other nations, just as much as from those who attributed high importance to maintaining
superior military power worldwide.
7
Similarly, desires to “increase our commitment” to NATO tended to be highest
among people who gave high thermometer ratings to the United Nations and those who
embraced the goals of strengthening the UN or bringing democracy to other countries,
and among people worried about the threat of global warming or the threat from AIDS,
Ebola, and other epidemics. These political aims outweighed desires to increase NATO
commitment among those focused on security concerns like the threats of chemical and
biological weapons or of civil wars in Africa.
8
The similar bases of support for the EU, NATO, and the United Nations suggest
that many Americans may see them all as part of a single, general system of global
governance: a system that is beneficial for a variety of U.S. interests and deserves
protection against unilateralist impulses.
9
Diplomatic relations, even with enemies. Even when dealing with nations
perceived as enemies, such as the countries that President George W. Bush dubbed the
“axis of evil” – Iraq under Saddam Hussein, Iran, and North Korea – most Americans
want to maintain diplomatic relations and to hold open the possibility of negotiations
rather than conflict. In 2002, substantial majorities favored having diplomatic relations
with North Korea (65% to 32%) and with Iran (58% to 38%). Even Saddam Hussein’s
Iraq, which at that time was more feared and despised by Americans than any other
country in the world and was subject to escalating U.S. threats of invasion, won a bare
plurality of the U.S. public (49% to 47%) in favor of diplomatic relations.
10
Convention