Publisher's Synopsis
This volume, a comprehensive review of forty years of public opinion data, shows Americans do not support initiating use of nuclear weapons to defend allies in Western Europe, but they strongly support NATO, internationalist policies, and the defense of Western Europe. Since the advent of standardized public opinion polling in the mid-1930s, a large academic literature has been produced on public attitudes and American foreign policy. Three theoretical ideas have taken hold in universities, and hold sway, at least indirectly, with a number of foreign policy experts. First, some scholars posit that America's attitudes towards foreign policy are unstable. A second relevant concept suggests that many Americans have little interest or knowledge about foreign policy, and so their attitudes are strongly influenced by a small elite. Finally, many public opinion analysts argue that there was a 'consensus' in public attitudes during the Cold War. This volume examines the validity of these three theories. Co-published with the Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University.
