Influence from Abroad: Foreign Voices, the Media, and U.S. Public Opinion - Softcover

Hayes, Danny; Guardino, Matt

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1107691028 ISBN 13: 9781107691025

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2013

Synopsis

In Influence from Abroad, Danny Hayes and Matt Guardino show that United States public opinion about American foreign policy can be shaped by foreign leaders and representatives of international organizations. By studying news coverage, elite debate, and public opinion prior to the Iraq War, the authors demonstrate that U.S. media outlets aired and published a significant amount of opposition to the invasion from official sources abroad, including British, French, and United Nations representatives. In turn, these foreign voices - to which millions of Americans were exposed - drove many Democrats and independents to signal opposition to the war, even as domestic elites supported it. Contrary to conventional wisdom that Americans care little about the views of foreigners, this book shows that international officials can alter domestic public opinion, but only when the media deem them newsworthy. Their conclusions raise significant questions about the democratic quality of United States foreign policy debates.

About this title

Book Description:

Influence from Abroad shows that U.S. public opinion about American foreign policy can be shaped by foreign leaders and representatives of international organizations. By studying news coverage, elite debate, and public opinion prior to the Iraq War, the authors demonstrate that U.S. media outlets aired and published a significant amount of opposition to the invasion from official sources abroad, which drove many Democrats and independents to signal opposition to the war, even as domestic elites stood behind it.

About the Author:

Danny Hayes is Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Professor Hayes is a former journalist whose research focuses on how information from the media and other political actors influences citizens' attitudes during public policy debates and election campaigns. His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation and has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, Political Research Quarterly, Political Behavior, Political Communication, Politics and Gender, American Politics Research, and Presidential Studies Quarterly. He is a contributor to the Washington Post's Wonkblog.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1107691028
• ISBN 13: 9781107691025
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 197