The Public Image of Security, Defence and the Military in Europe 2 Public Image of Security Defence and the Military in Europe Edited by Marie Vlachová Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) in Geneva Center for Civil-Military Relations (CCMR) in Belgrade Belgrade ● 2003 3 The Public Image of Security, Defence and the Military in Europe Published by: Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces Centre For Civil-Military Relations, Belgrade Edited by: Marie Vlachová Editors-in-chief: Theodor Winkler Miroslav Hadžić Language Editing and Proofreding: Vera Pavlović Theodora Rankovich Cover design: Marija Vuksanovic Type setting: Leviathan Design Printed by: Goragraf, Belgrade Printing: 500 copies ISBN- 86-83543-08-0 Belgrade ● 2003 4 Contents Preface – Theodor Winkler ...................................................................................7 Acknowledgments................................................................................................. 9 Introduction – Andrzej Karkoszka .......................................................................11 The Importance of Public Opinion in Security and Defence Policy-Making – Jan Hartl .................................................................................16 European Public Opinion and Defence Policy – Philippe Manigart ............................................................................................30 Public Attitudes Toward Nato in Aspirant Countries – Alina Zilberman and Stephen Webber ............................................................. 50 Tradition as a Political Value – The Public Image of Security, Defense and Military in Switzerland – Karl Haltiner .........................................72 Public Image of Security, Defence and Military in Poland – Agnieszka Gogolewska .....................................................................................92 Development of Views of the Slovak Public on the Armed Forces and Nato Membership – Karol Čukan .................................112 Changes of the Hungarian Public Opinion on Security, Defence and the Military – Zoltan Laszlo Kiss .................................................126 Attitude of the Population of Ukraine Towards National Security – Mykola Churylov .............................................................................144 Public Acceptance of Security Issues and Defence Reform in Russia – Vladimir Rukavishnikov .................................................................162 Slovenian Public on Security, Defence And Military Issues – Ljubica Jelušič ...............................................................................................182 Public Opinion on Security and Defence Issues in Serbia and Montenegro – Milorad Timotić ..................................................................202 Public Image of Security, Defence and the Military in Europe: The Case Of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Bisera Turković .................................216 A Public Image Of Security, Defence and the Military in Macedonia: In a Broken Mirror – Biljana Vankovska ..................................232 5 Vews of the Bulgarian Public on Security, Defence and the Military – Yantsislav Yanakiev .................................................................... 245 Romanian Public Attitudes to Defence and Security Sector Reform – Larry Watts .......................................................................................266 The European Public Opinion On Security And Defence: A Good Message for Politicians and Soldiers – Marie Vlachová .....................284 Notes On Contributors ...................................................................................... 294 The Geneva Centre on Democratic Control of Armed Forces.......................... 295 Centre For Civil-Military Relations, Belgrade..................................................300 6 Preface Ambassador Dr. Theodor Winkler Director DCAF, Geneva This book is the first outcome of the Working Group on Military and Society, which was launched by the Geneva Centre for the De- mocratic Control of Armed Forces at a workshop held in Prague dur- ing November 2002. At this event, a framework of military-society relations, that is relevant for Geneva DCAF, was established and the topics for the working group’s future activities were set out. Amongst these issues was the public perception of the more substantial security and defence processes that came into existence after the end of the Cold War. The post-Cold War transformation of armed forces has been the most visible result of a much broader reform of the security sector, its salience arising from the potential effect on states’ sovereignty, and encompassing the size of their organizational structure, personnel and budget. This reform is deeply embedded in the overall transition to- wards a democratic political system, free labour market economy and socially stable societies. The relations between the military and its so- ciety also include such aspects as the public image and prestige of the armed forces, the societal understanding of their new missions and goals, the trust in their ability to fulfil these goals, and a common awareness of the necessity for them to be reformed. Knowledge of public perceptions of security and defence facilitates recognition as to whether or not a desirable balance between political decision-making and civil society exists. That is why public-opinion polls remain an important analytical tool, not only prior to elections, but also for measuring public support for the various aspects of government pol- icy. In most countries, the security sector, as well as the armed forces, do not belong to the list of typical topics at the polls, being too mar- ginal, too complex and too far removed from the problems of every- day life. Recent events in security and defence, however, particularly new threats such as international terrorism, and the quest for security solutions in collective defence at both the European and the Euro- Atlantic levels, have triggered a broad debate and, thus, are now also reflected in a significant number of public-opinion polls. Although the public perception of security has not been restricted to the functioning 7 of state-security institutions, people across Europe have gained aware- ness of the importance of their effectiveness. The cognition of these new trends in public opinion can provide experts, politicians, donors and security-sector executives with knowledge, which gives them a better understanding of any public reaction to future decisions con- cerning security issues. It is no coincidence that this book is published by the Centre for Civil-Military Relation in Belgrade. Experts and researchers from the South-Eastern European countries had contributed substantially to this book, despite difficulties with the relevant data collection and the need to treat them with caution and in-depth knowledge. This book repre- sents the third volume of DCAF-CCMR ‘blue’ series, and thus consti- tutes a testimony to the excellent co-operation between the two institu- tions. I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to all those who have con- tributed to this publication. 8 Acknowledgments I would like to express my thanks to all the authors of this edited volume for their excellent contributions. In addition, I would also like to thank all those who made the production of this book possible, namely the Director of Geneva DCAF, Ambassador Dr. Theodor Winkler and the then Geneva DCAF Head of Think Tank and present Senior Political Advisor to the DCAF Director, Dr. Andrzej Kar- koszka. From the very beginning Dr. Karkoszka has given his support to this project and encouraged me to bring it to a (hopefully success- ful) close. My gratitude also goes to Lea Biason, Geneva DCAF Re- search Associate, who assisted in the compilation of this volume. Last but not least, I am indebted to Professor Miroslav Hadžić, the Director of the Centre for Civil-Military Relations in Belgrade, who enthusias- tically took on the task of publishing the volume. The analysis, opinions and conclusions presented in this book are those of the editor and the authors alone, and do not necessarily repre- sent the views of DCAF. Geneva, January 2003 Marie Vlachová 9 10 Introduction Andrzej Karkoszka Public opinion belongs to a very important area of interest, to which our very young institution attaches great importance, namely, the societal aspects of security policy of states. This area covers all aspects of civil-military relations, strategic community building, the role of civil society in assisting in the democratic control of the security sector’s institutions, the role of women in security policy, and problems of communication between state and society on security matters. Understanding these issues is indispensable for a truly democratic security and defence policy, that is, a policy based on widely perceived, and consented to, national-security interests, executed in a transparent and efficient manner under the strictest possible public accountability. Each and every element of this perfunctory “definition” of a democratic security policy, like “wide acceptance”, “consented to”, “transparent”, “publicly accountable” presupposes, as discussed in the introductory chapter by Jan Hartl, a provision for a two-way communication channel between the state authorities and the society, the first acting in defining and implementing the security and defence policy in the name of the nation, the latter being