Rabat- According to a survey conducted by the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies and commissioned by the Spanish Ministry of Defense, Spaniards perceive Morocco as the country that is most threatening to Spain.
The survey, which was conducted in September of last year and whose results have just been released to the public, shows that 14.8% of Spaniards regard their southern neighbor as posing the biggest threat to Spain's national security, followed by the United Kingdom (11.4%), due to the Gibraltar issue.
Syria ranks third (8.4%) probably because the poll was conducted when the regime of Bashar al-Assad had just been accused of using chemical weapons against his own people.
The survey also reveal that 55, 3% of Spaniards say they would refuse take up arms to defend their country were to be attacked, while 16.3% say they would defend it without hesitation.
The results also show a decrease in feeling of belonging to the country in several regions, especially in Catalonia and the Basque region.