LG211: US Foreign Policy Lecture 7:Foreign policymaking II – The Cultural Context

Political Culture, public opinion and Foreign policy A dependent or independent variable? How does national identity relate to foreign policy practice? Two ways: Foreign policy practice must be perceived to be in line with a state’s sense of self But, identity, particularly in the US case, is in no small part created by the perceptions of foreign policy practice.

How informed is public opinion? Informed or misinformed? 1985 – 28% of Americans thought that the USSR and USA fought each other in WWII 1994 – 46% of Americans thought that foreign aid was one of the two biggest items of the Federal budget (actually<1%) 1964 – only 58% of Americans thought the US was a member of NATO, almost 40% thought the USSR was a member Should public opinion ever be a guide to FP?

The effects of public opinion Wittkopf et al suggest the following matrix of policy positions Based on support or opposition to coop internationalism And supp or opp to militant internationalism Short term v Long term effects Accommoda tionists 1994:24% 1982:26% 1974: 27% International ists 1994: 28% 1982: 28% 1974: 29% 1994: 23% 1982:22% 1974: 22% Isolationists 1994:24% 1982: 24% 1974: 23% Hardliners

Core Values: American Nationalism Is the US a nation? Objective aspects:  Shared history, territory, language, culture, sense of purpose Subjective aspects:  “A nation is a daily plebiscite” (Renan 1882)  “Imagined community par excellence” (Campbell 1992) Civic or ethnic identity?

American Exceptionalism “For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.” – John Winthrop (1630) “Kindly separated by nature and a wide ocean from the exterminating havoc of one quarter of the globe; too high minded to endure the degradations of others.” – Thomas Jefferson (1801) “The indispensible nation” – (Clinton)

Liberalism At the core of American political culture is a commitment to the political principles embodied in the Constitution “the only true source of political authority is the will of those who are ruled, in short the doctrine that all power arises from the people” (Thomas in Wittkopf et al 2008 p244) Liberty, equality, individualism, property, human rights, due process and legalism “Our democracy encompasses many freedoms – freedom of speech, of religion, of assembly, and of so many other liberties that we take for granted. These are rights that should be shared by all mankind.” Reagan, 1983