contrasting views on these NATO allies
Americans more likely than Germans to say the military force is sometimes necessary is a survey statistic by Pew Research Center shows the sentiments of Germens and that of Americans when it comes to the military. These statistics by the media portrays the real situations and the feeling of citizens in these particular countries. The contrasting views on these NATO allies show how the mistrust still exists in these two superpowers. The Germans can see the intervention of NATO in military procedures as an attempt by the Americans to show superiority, especially when it comes to their enemies, such as Russia or China. According to Poushter and Mordecai, “About eight-in-ten Americans believe it is sometimes necessary to use force to maintain order in the world, yet only about half of Germans agree” (2020). This statement shows that the United States more embraces military action than any other country. This statement indicates that after World War 2, the United States still takes militarized solutions when it came to dealing with security tensions globally. Coincidentally, German was an enemy to the United States, and thus the mistrust relationship on security matters in these two countries is still affected by that factor. The American citizens in the survey showed less concern with NATO European allies investing more resources in the military because of the heavy financial burden accrued in America’s presence in Europe. Many American citizens feel that the government is spending too much on taxpayer’s money in these peace missions and thus fee; there is no need for America or its European allies to pump more resources to the military.
The statistics show that people in these two countries’ views do not correlate, and this expected depending on the ideologies affiliations. Poushter and Mordecai claim that more Americans conservatives advocate for more military actions when it comes to security matters compared to 65% liberals who consent while Germans on the right see military action as necessary while only a third on the left consent (2020). The disparities in the views can be correlated by the fact people who are more culturally-oriented see military superiority as a matter of pride when it comes to national security. In contrast, the liberals who are mostly young people do not see military actions as the primary solution to conflict disputes. The similarities between the conservative in both countries can be attributed to the fact that these people went through the horror of military conquest and think that this is the ultimate solution to dealing with all people who threaten NATO nations. The liberals in both countries show that there is a widespread belief that military solutions should only be considered when reconciliation and peace talks have been exhausted. The disparities between the conservative and liberal in both countries can be attributed to the two countries’ engagement in World War 2.
Moreover, the issue of spending on military operations among the American citizens shifted, signaling the growing concern of the U.S government spending taxpayers money in fighting unending wars in the middle east. There have been debates on how much the U.S.’s European allies should be contributing to NATO operations “half of Americans say that spending levels should remain the same” (Poushter and Mordecai). This showed a decline from 2017 when about 45% of U.S citizens thought Europe was no committing enough resources when it came to national defense. These implications on the citizen’s view of global security concerns have increased drastically because of the hard economic times people are facing in the U.S and Europe, and thus there is a need to cut on military operations. The robust government use of resources in military operations in the United States has triggered an uproar because many citizens feel it is creating social problems due to the misuse of public funds.