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Does the public alter American foreign policy choices, or does the government change public opinion to supports its policies? In this detailed study, Douglas Foyle demonstrates that the differing influence of public opinion is mediated in large part through each presidents beliefs about the value and significance of public opinion.Using archival collections and public sources, Foyle examines the beliefs of all the post-World War II presidents in addition to the foreign policy decisions of Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Bill Clinton. He finds that some presidents are relatively open to public opinion while others hold beliefs that cause them to ignore the publics view. Several orientations toward public opinion are posited: the delegate (Clinton) favors public input and seeks its support; the executor (Carter) believes public input is desirable, but its support is not necessary; the pragmatist (Eisenhower, Bush) does not seek public input in crafting policy, but sees public support as necessary; and finally, the guardian (Reagan) neither seeks public input nor requires public support. The book examines the publics influence through case studies regarding decisions on: the Formosa Straits crisis; intervention at Dien Bien Phu; the Sputnik launch; the New Look defense strategy; the Panama Canal Treaties; the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; the Strategic Defense Initiative; the Beirut Marine barracks bombing; German reunification; the Gulf War; intervention in Somalia; and intervention in Bosnia.
List of contents
Preface
1. Linking Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
2. Preserving Public Support: Eisenhower and Dulles as Pragmatists
3. The Crisis Context: Anticipating Domestic Opposition over the Offshore Islands
4. The Reflexive Context: Boxed in by Public Opinion at Dien Bien Phu
5. The Innovative Context: Standing Firm Pushing Forward, and Giving Way After Sputnik
6. The Deliberative Context: Leadership and Limitations in the Formulation of the New Look
7. Presidential Public Opinion Orientations Since World War II
8. Crises and Recent Presidents
9. Deliberative Cases and Recent Presidents
10. Conclusions and Implications for Theory and Practice
Summary
Does the public alter American foreign policy, or does the government change public opinion to support its policies? This study demonstrates that the differing influence of public opinion is mediated largely through each president's beliefs about the value and significance of public opinion.
