Europeans Perceive New Cold War But Don’t Feel Involved

While most Europeans believe a new ‘Cold War’ between the United States and China and Russia has begun, they do not think their own country is involved, a new poll by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) concludes.

European citizens consider EU institutions more likely to enter a global cold war than national governments, the ECFR found after polling citizens from 12 EU countries. Some 63% said a new cold war is developing between the US and China, while only 15% disagreed, according to the report, which was compiled ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York this week.

Reflecting on US-China relations, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said a cold war is a genuine threat and Beijing and Washington should address their “completely dysfunctional” relationship. Otherwise, the problems between the two world’s two superpowers could spill over into other geopolitical areas, he warned.

On Russia, the ECFR found that 59% of Europeans think a cold war is unfolding between Moscow and Washington, with only 16% in disagreement. Asked about China-EU relations, only 15% of the Europeans polled said their country has entered a cold war with China. For Russia meanwhile, that figure was 25%. On EU-Russia relations, 44% of respondents perceived the European Union as in a cold war with Moscow, with only 26% dissenting.

Source: Full report, Euobserver