Attitudes to Security Policy in the Federal Republic (February 1987)

Judgement on questions of security policy and the disarmament efforts
of the USA and the USSR. Topics: Trust in the United States and the
Soviet Union to solve problems in world politics; importance of the
summit meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev; country responsible for a
possible failure of a summit meeting; assessment of Reagan and
Gorbachev regarding their trustworthiness, their negotiation
flexibility, their understanding for European problems and the use of
military strength to attain political objectives; judgement on the
effects of the Marshall Plan; extent to which informed about the trade
dispute between the United States and the EC; goals of arms controls
between the USA and the Soviet Union; trust in the USA in the
preservation of West German interests in the arms control negotiations;
assessment of the seriousness of the disarmament efforts of the USA and
the Soviet Union; importance of verification of disarmament measures;
significance of nuclear weapons for deterrence of a Soviet attack;
attitude to increase in defense expenditures and taxes in case of
relinquishing nuclear weapons to increase defense with conventional
weapons; attitude to a withdrawal of American and Soviet missiles from
Europe and related greater dependence on conventional weapons; most
important defense systems for the security of the Federal Republic;
Americans or Sowjets as initiator of a comprehensive nuclear test ban;
most important beneficiary of a nuclear test ban; Americans or Sowjets
as the ones stock-piling the most nuclear weapons; knowledge about
conducting underground or surface nuclear tests by the USA and the
USSR; assessment of the credibility of the Soviet recommendation of a
nuclear weapon ban; attitude to an agreement of the Americans to
eliminate all nuclear tests; most important arguments for or against
the immediate elimination of all nuclear weapons tests; attitude to a
restriction of nuclear tests, even without the verification demanded by
the Americans; attitude to the anti-missile defense system SDI; most
important arguments for or against further research on this defense
system; attitude to Soviet linking limitation on SDI and progress in
arms control; knowledge of Soviet anti-missiles; comparison of the
American or Soviet status of research on anti-missile defense systems;
attitude to participation of the Federal Republic in the research on
SDI; expected effect of an SDI on the security of the Federal Republic;
necessity of the NATO for the security of the Federal Republic;
attitude to withdrawal of the Federal Republic from NATO; assessment of
the strength of conventional weapons and the nuclear weapon strength of
the USA in comparison to the USSR; attitude to use of nuclear weapons
by NATO in Europe; trust in the defense preparedness of the USA
regarding the Federal Republic; most important trouble spots
threatening western interests; knowledge about the geographic location
of Nicaragua; positive or negative influence of the USA as well as the
Soviet Union on political development in Central America and in the
Caribbean; attitude to military support of the Contras in Nicaragua as
well as of the opposition troops in Afghanistan by the American
government; most important reasons for or against support of the
opposition troops in Afghanistan; assessment of realization of human
rights in the USA as well as in the Soviet Union; attitude to criticism
of government leaders on violation of human rights in other countries.