Arab Public Opinion and NATO after the International Military Operations in Libya

Abstract

Although, NATO has always taken into account public opinion in its member states, the emergence of new Information and Communication Technologies and the extension of its out-of- area operations have given NATO a new impetus to extend the space of communication beyond the Alliance countries.With regard to the NATO's partnership with Arab countries, the Arab spring uprisings have created a new political atmosphere in which many signs of a positive perception of NATO and its members states have been expressed, and can be flourished with more support to new governments arising from this unprecedented political and social mobility in the region. So, giving the growing influence of Arab public opinion on the region countries' foreign policies, in the post-Arab spring era, getting public support is one of the fundamental preconditions for the success of the NATO cooperation initiatives in the Arab world.The article aims to give an approximate picture of the current Arab public's perception of NATO. It deals with the vision of the Arab elites and public opinion on the Alliance after its participation in overthrowing the Gaddafi regime, surveys the opinion of some segments of Moroccan public opinion, and explores some possible kinds of relations between Arab countries and NATO viewed by the Arab public.

Keywords

• NATO, Libya, Arab public opinion, perception