Poll: Western Views on Iran Threat

Pew Research is out with some new numbers today on Western attitudes towards Iran's nuclear program:

A 14-nation survey by the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project, conducted Aug. 27 through Sept. 24, finds worries about Iran developing nuclear weapons most common among Americans: 82% say that this would be a major threat to the well-being of the U.S. Similarly, concerns are widespread in Western Europe -- large majorities in Spain (81%), Germany (79%), Italy (78%) and France (74%) view Iran's emergent nuclear capabilities as a major threat.

This view is less common among Eastern Europeans. Still, 69% of Czechs view Iran's potential nuclear capabilities as a threat, as do more than six-in-ten in Poland (65%), Bulgaria (63%) and Lithuania (62%). Roughly half in Slovakia (52%) and Hungary (46%) express worry about Iran developing a nuclear capacity.

More interesting still:

In each of the nations surveyed, more people consider a nuclear armed Iran a major threat than say this about two other potential dangers: the Taliban regaining control of Afghanistan and extremists taking control of Pakistan.

Majorities in 11 of the 14 countries say that a nuclear Iran poses a major threat to their own country; across the 14 nations, the median percentage rating a nuclear Iran a major threat is 66%.

I personally don't understand this view. I don't think extremists would be able to topple Pakistan in the first place, but let's say for the sake of argument they do. Which group is more likely to use a nuclear weapon - Iran's Mullahs or the Taliban? I think it's obvious we'd be vastly more threatened if Pakistan's nuclear weapons fell into the hands of Sunni extremists than if Iran's currently non-existent arsenal eventually develops into something they could use.

(A Pakistan army patrol. AP Photos)