The Politics of United States Foreign Policy Chapter 11

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The Politics of United States Foreign
PolicyChapter 11
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Public Opinion and Foreign Policy

• Is there a relationship?
• What direction does it flow?

3
Traditional Wisdomthe Almond-Lippman Consensus

• Elitist view
• Insignificant effect
• Volatile
• Unstructured

4
Revisionist Opiniona New Consensus

• Public opinion stability
• Responsive policy

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Publics

• Mass Public

• Elite Public

• Opinion leaders
• Attentive public
• Size variation

• 2/3 - 3/4 of the population
• What determines?
• Education
• Class

6
Public Beliefs

• Public opinion
• Political ideology
• Political culture

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Public Opinion Patterns

• Inattentive
• Uninformed
• Volatile

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Public Opinion Impact on Foreign Policy

• Direct
• Salience and success
• Indirect
• Elected officials, prestige of officials, menu of
  options

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Political Ideology Cold War

• Consensus
• Cold war internationalism
• Liberal-conservative consensus
• Phases
• Rise of liberalism
• Rise of conservatism
• Liberal-conservative consensus

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Political Ideology Post-Vietnam

• Diversity
• Liberal internationalism
• Conservative internationalism
• Non-internationalism

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The Cold War EndEffects on Ideology and Opinion

• Diversity
• Fluctuation
• Confusion
• Stability

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American Political Culture

• Unique American mission
• Innocence
• Benevolence
• Exceptionalism

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Political CultureForeign Policy Implications

• Oversimplification
• Moral crusade
• Contradictions
• Over-sale
• Heightened nationalism and intolerance
• Swings in public opinion

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History The American Mission

• Optimism

• Cynicism

• Consensus
• Persian Gulf Crisis

• Vietnam syndrome
• Iraq syndrome