(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The proportion of people in Poland who oppose the country’s participation in a missile defence shield for the United States has decreased while the level of undecided Poles has risen, according to a poll by CBOS. 53 per cent of respondents disagree with the deployment of the project on Polish soil, down eight points since November 2007.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The proportion of people in Poland who oppose the country’s participation in a missile defence shield for the United States has decreased while the level of undecided Poles has risen, according to a poll by CBOS. 53 per cent of respondents disagree with the deployment of the project on Polish soil, down eight points since November 2007.
The proportion of those who are uncertain about Poland’s participation in the U.S. defence program has increased by 10 points.
In December 2002, then U.S. president George W. Bush announced plans for the development of initial defence capabilities, which include ground-based and sea-based missile interceptors, as well as sensors located in space. Washington has explained the project as a means to defend the U.S. and its European allies from a potential attack by Iran or North Korea.
In January 2007, the U.S. issued a formal request to place a radar base in the Czech Republic—in a military area southwest of Prague—as well as 10 interceptor missiles in Poland.
In August 2008, then U.S. state secretary Condoleezza Rice and Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski signed the treaty that approves the missile base.
Some countries doubt that Iran could actually represent a danger for the U.S. and its allies in Europe and fear the missile-defence shield could eventually become a threat to other nations instead—including Russia.
The new federal administration in the U.S.—headed by Democratic U.S. president Barack Obama—has not announced a final decision on whether it will go ahead with the construction of the missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.
On Mar. 22, Sikorski said he expects the U.S. to honour its commitment, declaring, "Russian generals, and even the Russian president, still continue to threaten us with the deployment of medium-range missiles in our immediate vicinity. So we signed with the previous administration. We patiently wait for the decision of the new administration and we hope we don’t regret our trust in the United States."
Polling Data
Do you support or oppose the deployment of an anti-missile shield in Poland?
|
|
Mar. 2009 |
Nov. 2007 |
|
Support |
22% |
24% |
|
Oppose |
53% |
61% |
|
Not sure |
25% |
15% |
Source: CBOS
Methodology: Interviews with 979 Polish adults, conducted from Mar. 4 to Mar. 10, 2009. Margin of error is 4 per cent.
