The Security Policy Options of the West

Judgement on the current situation and future development of security
policy by experts from various countries.

Topics: most important national problems; most important components of
security policy; national position on achieving security policy goals;
current as well as future sources of danger for the security of the
country; significance of the concepts disarmament, reduction of tension
and military balance of power; assessment of the military East-West
balance of power; security policy effects of the stationing of NATO
medium-range systems; attitude to defense expenditures, reduction of
tension, MBFR negotiations, renunciation of first use of nuclear
weapons, freezing of nuclear weapons arsenals, stationing of cruise
missiles; trade with the East and process of reduction of tension;
satisfaction with NATO; most important aspects for solidarity of NATO;
attitudes to membership of the country in NATO; significance of NATO
for peace in Europe; assessment of future development of NATO;
probability of a nuclear war in Europe; attitude to nuclear weapons on
national territory; judgement on the current security policy discussion
in the country; satisfaction with national consensus in questions of
security policy; NATO topics and assumed degree of national agreement;
attitude to use of military power and level of national defense budget;
most important factors determining the level of defense expenditures;
assumed effects of defense expenditures on other government budgets;
financing of defense expenditures given financial shortage; preferred
areas for government economy; appropriateness of the share in defense
of alliance partners; assessment of the development of the East-West
climate in the future; most important influence factors for the future
security of the West; national measures given loss of the nuclear
shield of the USA; belonging to groupings and institutions.

Only FRG: preferred measures given shortage of personnel in the
Federal German Armed Forces.

Only Great Britain: attitude to restoration of pre-eminence of the
Royal Navy.

Demography: party affiliation; age (classified); sex; school
education; religious denomination; frequency of church attendance;
union membership; memberships.

Also encoded was: date of interview.