ISBN: 0231110693
FORMAT: PDF
category/genre: Politricks
author: Douglas C. Foyle
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 president's
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 public's 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
public's 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.
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